In a marked shift from parliamentary tradition, the Budget session will begin almost a month ahead of time, thanks to the NDA government’s decision to present the Union Budget on February 1. Incidentally, it was the previous NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee which changed the time the Budget is presented from 5 p.m. to 11 a.m.
With the winter session ending up washed out almost completely, expectations from this session are high. The Budget apart, there are now 60 Bills pending in the Parliament.
Here is what we have to look forward to in the upcoming session:
Events in the Budget session
Economic Survey
Every year, on the day before the Union Budget is presented in the Parliament, the Economic Survey, an official report of the state of the economy, is tabled. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will on January 31 provide an account of the economy’s prospects and policy decisions. Chief Economic Advisors have used the Survey before to announce or recommend policy changes.
This year, the Survey is expected to recommend the rollout of Universal Basic Income, a social security policy that aims at a direct money transfer to people’s bank accounts as a means to fight poverty, according to media reports. The Survey, it must be noted, only recommends such changes. It is up to the government to implement these.
Union Budget 2017
For the first time since independence, the Union Budget will be presented on February 1. The GST rollout has been delayed to July 2017, but there are expectations that the minister, in his third full Budget, will announce the implementation schedule in the Budget. Furthermore, changes in taxation slabs, announcements for agriculture, and the manufacturing sector, which have both been affected by demonetisation, as well as new welfare measures may be on the cards.
The government will also do away with plan and non-plan expenditure segments, replacing it with capital and revenue expenditure.
In order to give a boost to manufacturing, expectations are, the Minister may announce special schemes to further the Centre’s agenda to make India a global manufacturing destination as also float initiatives to support home-grown start-ups.
This is also the first time that the Railway Budget, 92 years after its establishment, will be merged with the Union Budget.
Major Bills pending in Parliament
Surrogacy Regulation Bill
In a move to prevent exploitation, the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016 was introduced by the Health Minister J.P. Nadda. This Bill prohibits commercial surrogacy, defining it as surrogacy undertaken for monetary benefits. Instead, it legitimises only altruistic surrogacy that is done for couples who are proven to be infertile.
Transgender Persons Bill
In a first, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2016 gives an official definition to the term transgender, includes the terms gender-queer, trans-man, trans-woman and intersex. The Bill prohibits discrimination against a transgender person in education, healthcare, and employment.
Consumer Protection Bill
Enforcing consumer rights, the Consumer Protection Bill 2015 provides a system for redressal of complaints. This Bill also includes misleading advertisements under unfair trade practices, and defines consumer rights.
Whistleblowers Protection Bill
Pending in the Rajya Sabha since 2015, the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill 2015 seeks to curtail the whistleblowers’ rights by making them entitled to protection only if certain conditions — in this case, not revealing any classified documents and those not obtained through an RTI query — are fulfilled. The amendment also contains a ‘national security’ phrase, which remains undefined.
Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill
A Bill that has been to the Standing Committee and back, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas and other related Law (Amendment) Bill 2014 states that the leader of the single largest Opposition party would be part of the selection committee that appoints the Lokpal. The earlier Bill stated that the Leader of Opposition would be a part of the committee. In a move that seems to dilute the original Act, the amendment does away with the requirement of public servants to disclose the assets held by their spouses and dependent children.
Maternity Benefits Bill
Passed by the Rajya Sabha in the monsoon session, pending in the Lok Sabha, the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill 2016 provides maternity leave for women employees up to 26 weeks. For the first time, the Bill also recognises women who adopt children as needing maternity leave and grants them a period of up to 12 weeks. Establishments with 50 or more employees come under the purview of this law.
Mental Healthcare Bill
Also passed in the Rajya Sabha during the monsoon session, the Mental Health Care Bill 2013 was first introduced to align the laws of the country with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007. In an attempt to make mental healthcare more accessible, this Bill also decriminalises suicide and makes electroconvulsive therapy usable only under specific conditions.
