Commencement of Parliament Budget Session 2026
Why focus: President's Address — GS2 Polity, highly testable NCERT Class 11 Executive Ch 4 concepts on Article 87 Special Address mechanics.
In News
What Happened
Why It Matters
Background
History & Context
What Changed
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BEFORE: The Union Budget was presented on the last working day of February, delaying fund availability until May. NOW: Advanced to February 1 (since 2017), ensuring funds are available from the start of the financial year on April 1.
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BEFORE: The Railway Budget and General Budget were presented separately, a practice starting in 1924 based on the Acworth Committee (1921). NOW: Merged into a single Union Budget (since 2017) based on Bibek Debroy Committee suggestions.
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BEFORE: Article 87 originally required the President to address Parliament at the commencement of 'every session'. NOW: The First Amendment Act (1951) changed it to mandate the address only at the first session after a general election and the first session of each year.
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BEFORE: Parliament directly debated all Demands for Grants in the House without specialized committee scrutiny prior to 1993. NOW: The session breaks for a recess, allowing 24 DRSCs to scrutinize ministry-wise Demands for Grants under Rule 331G of the Lok Sabha Rules.
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BEFORE: The Economic Survey was typically presented a day before the late-February budget. NOW: Presented usually on January 31 or the day before the advanced February 1 budget presentation.
What Did NOT Change
Despite procedural reforms in budget presentation dates, the constitutional requirement under Article 112 for the President to cause the Annual Financial Statement to be laid before Parliament remains unchanged. The passage of the Finance Bill within 75 days of its introduction, as mandated by the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act, 1931, continues to strictly govern the session's overall timeline.
Prelims Angle
NCERT Connection
Common Misconceptions
✗ The President addresses Parliament at the beginning of every session (Monsoon, Winter, Budget).
✓ The President addresses a joint sitting only at the commencement of the first session of each year (Budget Session) and the first session after each general election.
Original Article 87 of the Constitution stated 'every session' before it was explicitly amended by the 1st Amendment Act in 1951.
✗ All Money Bills and Finance Bills are exactly the same thing.
✓ All Money Bills (Article 110) are Finance Bills, but not all Finance Bills are Money Bills. Finance Bills Categories I and II (Article 117) contain non-tax matters and have different introduction and passage rules.
Both deal with finances, and the media colloquially refers to the annual budget legislation broadly as the 'Finance Bill'.
Practice Questions
Q1
How Many CorrectConsider the following statements regarding the President's Special Address and the Budget Session: 1. The provision for the President's Special Address to both Houses of Parliament assembled together is derived from Article 87 of the Constitution. 2. An amendment to the Motion of Thanks can be moved only in the Lok Sabha and not in the Rajya Sabha. 3. The original Constitution required the President to address Parliament at the commencement of every session. How many of the statements given above are correct?
Q2
Match the FollowingMatch the following Articles of the Indian Constitution with their corresponding financial provisions relevant to the Budget Session: List I (Article): A. Article 112, B. Article 110, C. Article 114, D. Article 265. List II (Provision): 1. No tax shall be levied or collected except by authority of law, 2. Appropriation Bills, 3. Definition of Money Bills, 4. Annual Financial Statement. Select the correct answer using the code below.
Q3
Assertion & ReasonAssertion (A): The Budget Session is split into two phases with a recess in between. Reason (R): The recess is utilized by Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) to scrutinize the Demands for Grants of various ministries. Select the correct answer using the code given below: