Nirmala Sitharaman to present full-fledged Budget of Modi 3.0 Government tomorrow

New Delhi: The Budget Session of Parliament began this morning with President Droupadi Murmu addressing the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Following her address, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey in both Houses. It provides an official assessment of the economy’s performance in the current financial year. It will also outline key challenges and propose reforms for sustained growth.

The Government has listed 16 Bills for the session, including the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. Other significant Bills include: Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, Railways (Amendment) Bill, Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, Protection of Interests in Aircraft Objects Bill and Immigration and Foreigners Bill.

Tomorrow, Feb. 1, Nirmala Sitharaman will present the first full-fledged Budget of the Modi 3.0 Government, with expectations of possible income tax slab revisions.

The first phase of the Budget Session will run until Feb. 13, after which Parliament will recess for a detailed review of the Budget proposals. The session will reconvene on March 10 and continue until April 4, with a total of 27 sittings.

The Lok Sabha has provisionally allocated Feb. 3 and 4 for the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, while the Rajya Sabha has set aside three days for the debate.

In her address, President Murmu emphasised the Government’s commitment to empowering the middle class, ensuring cybersecurity and fostering technological innovation.

She stressed the need for vigilance against digital fraud, cybercrime and DeepFake technology, which pose significant threats to social, financial and national security. She highlighted India’s leadership in digital technology, particularly the UPI transaction system, which has gained global recognition.

The President reaffirmed the government’s goal of making India a global innovation powerhouse, citing the launch of the India AI Mission to strengthen artificial intelligence adoption. She noted that the Government aims to create 3 crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’ and celebrated the rising participation of women in defence, Police forces, corporate leadership and sports. “Our daughters are making the country proud by winning Olympic medals,” she added.

PM’s jibe at Opposition

Ahead of the session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Opposition, remarking that for the first time since 2014, there had been no foreign interference ahead of a Budget session. “Since 2014, we have seen repeated attempts to ignite controversy before every Parliament session, often with foreign involvement. But this time, no such spark has been lit from abroad,” he said.

BJP has consistently accused Congress of having links with US-based billionaire George Soros and promoting anti-national propaganda in Parliament.

Laying out the agenda for Union Budget 2025, PM Modi stressed a strategy of “innovation, inclusion, and investment,” reaffirming the government’s focus on Viksit Bharat (Developed India). “As in the past, many significant bills will be discussed and passed in this session, strengthening the nation further,” he stated.