Parliament looks all set for a smooth budget session

New Delhi, Feb 20 (PTI) Putting aside its winterfiasco, Parliament is all set for a smooth budget session fromtomorrow with government telling the opposition that anannouncement on the constitution of a JPC into the 2G spectrumwill be made on Tuesday.

Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha and FinanceMinister Pranab Mukherjee gave the assurance to oppositionleaders at a meeting convened by the Speaker Meira Kumar thatthe government will make the announcement in the House on JPCon Tuesday when actual proceedings of the budget sessionstart.

Tomorrow, the session gets a formal start with thePresident''s address to the joint sitting of both the Houses ofParliament. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed the hopethat the budget session would be "fruitful and productive".

The General Budget for 2011/12 will be presented onFebruary 28 while the Railway budget on February 25. The pre-budget Economic Survey will also be tabled on February 25.

Officially there was no word from the government on itsplans on conceding to the JPC demand over which the entirewinter session was washed out but opposition leaders comingout of the meeting disclosed the government''s intention.

They said in keeping with Parliamentary norms that aformal statement should be made in the House, the governmentwas reticent about making it public.

One opposition leader, who attended the meeting, saidthat while giving the assurance Mukherjee told them not tospeak about it.

CPI Parliamentary Party leader Gurudas Dasgupta told themedia "why you want me to break the niceties. Government hasagreed on the JPC. It has come in the media". (More) PTI NABMS SPG