Union Budget 2022: FM Nirmala Sitharaman to present Budget on Feb 1 at 11 am

New Delhi, Jan 25: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Budget on February 1 at 11 am, despite staggered timing for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The duration of the Budget presentation might range from 90 to 120 minutes.

Taxpayers are hoping that Budget 2022 will provide a reduction in tax rates. Keeping the COVID-19 pandemic in view, it is also expected that the budget will focus on speeding up recovery and boosting the country's healthcare system.

Lok Sabha will meet at 11 am on February 1 for the presentation of the Union Budget and it will meet from 4 pm to 9 pm from February 2 to February 11, when the first part of the session concludes. During sittings of the Lower House of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers and their galleries will be used for sitting of members in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bulletin said.

While the exact timings of Rajya Sabha are yet to be formally notified, it could meet from 9 am to 2 pm. On January 31, the President would address both Houses of Parliament. The second part of the session will be from March 14 to April 8. But the timings of sittings are not yet clear for the Part II of the session.

The Monsoon Session of 2020 was the first full session held under Covid protocol with Rajya Sabha meeting in the first half of the day and Lok Sabha in the second half. The same process was followed for the first part of the Budget Session in 2021. For the second part of Budget Session and Monsoon and Winter sessions last year, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha went back to normal timings, but with members sitting in the chambers and galleries of respective Houses to ensure distancing.