Budget session of Parliament from Jan 31-April 8, to be held in two parts

The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on January 31 with the address of the president to both the Houses, and conclude on April 8, sources said on Friday citing recommendation of the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.

The Union Budget will be presented on February 1.

The Economic Survey is likely to be tabled on January 31 after the president's address, the sources said.

The first part of the session would conclude on February 11.

After a month-long recess, the part two of the session would begin from March 14 and conclude on April 8, the sources said.

The recess allows department-related parliamentary committees to examine budgetary allocations made to their respective ministries.

During part one of the session, campaigning for phase one of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections would be in full swing for which votes will be cast on February 10. When the two Houses meet after recess on March 14, the results of Assembly polls would be out. The counting is on March 10.

Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases, it would be mandatory for MPs as well as those entering the Parliament complex to have a negative RT-PCR report and a fully vaccinated certificate, parliamentary sources said. A decision on whether the two Houses should meet simultaneously or in separate shifts to ensure that not many people are present in the complex to ensure distancing norms is yet to be taken, the sources said. For the second part of Budget Session and Monsoon and winter sessions last year, the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha reverted to normal timings, but with members sitting in the chambers and galleries of respective Houses to ensure distancing. 

PHDCCI for removing Customs duty on copper concentrate

Industry chamber PHDCCI on Friday said it has suggested to the government to remove Customs duty on copper concentrate as the move would encourage domestic companies to manufacture value added products in India, instead of importing the same under free trade pacts. The Customs duty on copper concentrate is at 2.5 per cent. It also pitched for increasing the basic custom duty on copper cathodes on refined copper products from 5 per cent to 7.5 per cent.