New Delhi: Budget Showdown; Both Houses Reconvene Today

NEW DELHI: The discussion about the Union Budget for 2024-25, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23, will continue in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha today.

Opposition members protested against the Budget in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday and walked out of the Rajya Sabha.

Yesterday, the Parliament had a heated session as the Opposition criticized the Budget, calling it "discriminatory" and accusing it of favoring states governed by the BJP and its allies, especially Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman dismissed the Opposition's accusations as "outrageous." She questioned the implication that the absence of specific mentions of certain states in her speech meant that the government's schemes, programs, and externally-aided assistance from organizations like the World Bank, ADB, and AIIB did not reach those states, emphasizing that these resources were distributed routinely.

Besides discussing the Budget, union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Jitendra Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Kirtivardhan Singh will present documents in Parliament.

The budget session of Parliament started on July 22 and is set to conclude on August 12.

Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar is expected to update on the implementation of recommendations from the 250th report of the parliamentary standing committee on Home Affairs.

This report addresses the government's response to the committee's 243rd report, which dealt with the budget requests for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region for 2023-24.

Meanwhile, Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, has proposed an adjournment motion to discuss the tragic railway incidents that have resulted in significant loss of life, suffering, and economic disruption.

Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, met with a group of farmers at the Parliament House on Wednesday. He promised them that the INDIA bloc will press the government and consider all options, including introducing a Private Member’s Bill, to secure a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers.

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