PTI
New Delhi, Jan 31: The Economic Survey, a pre-budget document detailing the state of the economy over the last fiscal year, will be presented in Parliament at 12 p.m. on Friday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The presentation comes a day before the much-anticipated arrival of the Union Budget 2025-26. The survey will be tabled in Lok Sabha at 12 p.m. and in Rajya Sabha at 2 p.m.
The Economic Survey is prepared under the supervision of the Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran and includes insights into the economy prepared by the economic division of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance. The document not only details the current state of the economy but also provides an outlook for the upcoming fiscal year. It can also be an indicator of the tone and texture of the Union Budget.
The presentation of the Economic Survey will kickstart the Budget Session of Parliament, which concludes on April 4. Parliament will have an inter-session break from February 14 and will resume on March 10. The theme of the Economic Survey also holds significance. In 2024, the theme was economic resilience. The theme sets the tone for the policies which are proposed in the Union Budget as well.
Before the budget is presented, conventionally a Cabinet meeting headed by the Prime Minister is also held, where Ministers are briefed about the Budget and Cabinet approval is taken. Ahead of the Union Budget presentation, President Droupadi Murmu will also address a joint seating of Parliament on Friday. The Union Budget will be presented on February 1.
President Murmu will address the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha at 11 a.m. on Friday. After the President’s address, Finance Minister Sitharaman will table the Economic Survey in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha separately. Finance Minister Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on Saturday for the eighth consecutive time. The Budget Session will be held from January 31 to April 4 in two phases. The first part of the Session will end on February 13 and the second phase will begin on March 10.