Parliament’s Budget Session From Today

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[The budget session of Parliament will commence from today with an address by the President, Pratibha Patil, to a joint sitting of both Houses in the Central Hall of Parliament. The Railway Budget will be presented on Tuesday, while the General Budget will be presented on Friday. The Economic Survey which gives an indication on the health of the economy, will be tabled on Thursday. Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee held a customary luncheon meeting with leaders of various political parties on Sunday. Chatterjee said the Business Advisory Committee would identify issues to be raised during the session. He said, after the financial business is completed during the first half of the Budget session, discussions on subjects could be taken up. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi informed reporters that at least 55 bills would be presented during this session. As this budget will be the last budget before a series of Assembly elections this year and the general election next year, there are a lot of expectations from the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government to go all out to cheer the common man with several sops. (ANI)