Parliament's Budget Session Begins Today: 16 Bills, Including Wakf Amendment Act, on Agenda

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): 16 bills including Finance Bill 2025, amendments to the Waqf and Banking Regulation Act and merger of Indian Railways and Indian Railway Board Acts will be introduced in the budget session of Parliament. This session is starting on Friday with the Economic Survey 2024/25. Bills related to amendments in disaster management and oil sector (regulation and development) laws can be tabled in this session. Bills related to coastal and merchant shipping and bills to rename the Institute of Rural Management Anand as Tribhuvan Cooperative University and declare it an 'institution of national importance' can also be introduced.

Bills to protect financial interests related to the aviation sector and to change existing rules related to immigration and entry of foreigners are also expected to be introduced in this session. Finally, another important bill is the Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa. As the name suggests, it seeks to reallocate assembly seats in that state so that its ST communities are better represented.

In this session, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the eighth Union Budget. Before her, Morarji Desai has presented the budget 10 times. If we talk about the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, then the bill proposing 44 changes in the Waqf laws - the way Muslim charitable properties are managed in the country - was introduced in Parliament in August last year.

The opposition protested fiercely as the controversial bill was tabled in the House and referred to the joint committee headed by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal. Around 36 meetings of the JPC were held but witnessed protests and chaos from the minority opposition members who said their concerns were being ignored. The JPC approved the amendment bill this week. The House panel had made 14 recommendations, all from members of the ruling BJP or its allies, while 44 recommendations made by opposition MPs were rejected.