The budget session of Parliament got underway on Wednesday with the address of the President of India to both houses in the Lok Sabha chamber. This was Droupadi Murmu’s first address to a joint session in the new Parliament building, which was inaugurated in the middle of last year. After the presentation of the interim union budget on Thursday, the reply to the motion of thanks to the President’s address will begin in both houses. Sources have told CNN-News18 that the discussion will get underway on Friday. While the Lok Sabha has allocated a discussion time of 12 hours, the Rajya Sabha will hold a discussion on the address for 10 hours. Following the discussion, a reply will come from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in both houses. Government sources have told CNN-News18 that on Monday, February 5, Modi will reply in the Lok Sabha, followed by his reply in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, February 7.
During the discussion, several MPs, both from the treasury and opposition benches, will have an opportunity to speak about the performance of the government over the past year, which was the crux of the President’s address.
In the Lok Sabha, the BJP is expected to have seven to eight speakers. Having over 300 MPs in the lower house, the ruling party is expected to get nearly half the time allocated for the discussion.
The party which is finalising the list of speakers to speak on the motion is expected to pick several lawmakers from the OBC community. This is expected to blunt the attack of the opposition, especially the Congress party, which has questioned the Modi government of being unfair to the community, a source told CNN-News18.
In both houses, an intervention by a union minister is also expected to be finalised shortly.
After the discussion on the President’s address, there will be deliberations on the interim budget and the budget will be passed.
During her address to the joint session of Parliament, Droupadi Murmu, who is India’s first tribal woman President, highlighted the achievements of the Modi government, especially with a thrust on farmers, women, the youth, and the marginalised sections of society.
The President also touched upon the importance of fulfilling the dream of crores of Indians to see the Ram temple being built in Ayodhya. This remark saw BJP MPs thumping the desks and shouting “Jai Sri Ram". Several opposition leaders, including Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, were also seen thumping their desks.
Murmu spoke about India being the country that the world looked towards in the midst of a serious global crisis like the Covid pandemic. “India emerged as the fastest-growing major economy, consistently maintaining a growth rate of over 7.5 per cent for two consecutive quarters," she also said.
With the mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas" at its core, she said, the Modi government has worked tirelessly over the last decade for the empowerment of four pillars of society: Garib, Mahila, Kisan, and Yuva. The foundation of a strong nation can be only by the thrust of any government on these four pillars, Murmu underscored.
“I appreciate all of you for having enacted the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam after a wait of three decades. This has paved the way for ensuring greater participation of women in the Lok Sabha and the legislative assemblies. This strengthens my government’s resolve for women-led development," the President said.
“Since childhood, we have been hearing the slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’. Now, for the first time in our lives, we are witnessing the eradication of poverty on a massive scale. According to NITI Aayog, in the last one decade of my government, about 25 crore countrymen have been lifted out of poverty. This is something that instills great confidence among the poor. If the poverty of 25 crore people can be alleviated, then her poverty can also be alleviated," Murmu said.
While speaking about the central government’s Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, which has been ongoing since November 15, 2023, she said that it has seen the participation of more than 19 crore people across the country. This yatra focuses on reaching out to people across the country with the objective that no eligible beneficiaries should be left out of any central government schemes.
The President also highlighted that 4.10 lakh crore poor families now have their own pucca houses for which the government has spent more than Rs 6 lakh crore. Piped water has also reached the homes of about 11 crore rural families, for which the government has spent about Rs 4 lakh crore.
The President said that a total of 10 crore Ujjwala cooking gas connections have by now been provided. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, 80 crore countrymen are being given free ration. The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana Stands extended for the next five years.
The ongoing budget session of Parliament, the last one before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, is a short one. Beginning on January 31, the session will go on till February 9.
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