Datanomics: Parliament's Budget sessions see longer sittings, fewer Bills

Parliament's Budget Session begins as longer sittings contrast with limited debate on expenditure and fewer bills introduced and passed in recent years

The Budget session of Parliament begins on Wednesday, with the Union Budget set to anchor legislative business over the coming weeks. Beyond budgetary announcements, the session is also a forum for scrutiny of government finances and legislative business. While parliamentary sitting time has improved in recent sessions, discussion on expenditure and the number of Bills introduced and passed remain limited.

 

More hours in Budget sessions 

In the past two calendar years, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha functioned beyond their scheduled time during the Budget sessions, compared to the sharp disruption seen in 2023. 

  Expenditure scrutiny remains low

 

Despite longer sittings, discussion on government expenditure in the Lok Sabha continues to be low relative to the total Budget size. Over the years, less than 15 per cent of total expenditure by value has been debated, with some years recording negligible or no discussion. In 2024 and 2025, about 10 per cent of expenditure by value was discussed.  

 

  Fewer Bills in 2025  

Legislative data shows that fewer Bills were introduced and passed during the Budget session in 2025 compared to previous years.