By IANS,
New Delhi: With the budget session likely to be adjourned sine die March 25, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said Monday that the government intends to complete by March 24 the exercise for passing the general budget for 2011-12.
Bansal said that the discussion on the budget will be taken up in the Lok Sabha Tuesday and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee would reply to the debate Thursday. The discussion on the budget will be taken up in the Rajya Sabha March 9-10 and the finance minister will reply to the debate in the upper house March 11.
The Lok Sabha will discuss the demands for grants of four ministries – rural development, external affairs, mining and road transport. In the Rajya Sabha discussion will take place on the working of ministries of tribal affairs, minorities affairs, defence and civil aviation.
The guillotine will be applied in the Lok Sabha to discuss the demands of other ministries March 17.
The Finance Bill, which incorporates the tax proposals for 2011-12, will be taken up for discussion in the Lok Sabha on March 21 and 22 and the entire process would be completed by March 24, Bansal said.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader S.S. Ahluwalia said earlier Monday that the business advisory committee of the two houses had decided that the budget session will continue till March 25 without recess. He said that parliament is expected to meet again in the last week of May.
The budget session is being curtailed due to the forthcoming assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry.
As per the original schedule, the first phase of the budget session was to end March 16. The second phase was scheduled to be held April 4-21.