Second part of Parliament`s Budget Session to begin today

The second part of the Parliament's Budget Session will begin on Monday with the opposition likely to attack the government on a range of issues, including rising unemployment, a reduction in the interest rate on employees' provident fund and the evacuation of Indians from war-torn Ukraine.

Top on the government's agenda would be getting Parliament's approval to the budgetary proposals and presentation of the budget for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. 

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar is likely to make a statement on ‘Operation Ganga’, which was launched to evacuate Indians stuck in Ukraine. 

The government has also listed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha.

With the COVID-19 situation easing out considerably, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will have simultaneous sittings from 11 am, instead of the two separate shifts during the first part of the Budget session from January 29 to February 11.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi chaired a meeting of the party's working committee at her residence and decided to work in coordination with like-minded political parties during the session.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said after the meeting, “We discussed the issues to be raised in the budget session of Parliament starting from Monday. We will work in coordination with like-minded parties to raise important issues related to public interest during the budget session.” 

Kharge further said, “Evacuation of Indians from Ukraine, inflation, unemployment, minimum support price etc are among the issues that will be raised in this session.”