The Budget session of the 18th Lok Sabha concluded a day earlier than planned, reflecting two contrasting developments. First, the Opposition adopted a noticeable change in tactics, avoiding frequent disruptions of proceedings. Second, a public disagreement between an opposition member and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha gained wider support on the opposition benches.

The importance of the first working session of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third term government was evident in the presentation of a comprehensive Budget, including discussions and debates on its provisions. The primary focus for any government during a Budget session is to ensure the passage of the Finance Bill.

Although 12 new Bills were introduced, the Lok Sabha considered and passed only four. Three of these were authorizations for the government to draw money from the treasury, while the fourth was new legislation for civil aviation.

During the July 22-August 9 session, Demands-for-Grants for several ministries were discussed before the guillotine was applied. Given the ongoing process of establishing Parliamentary Standing Committees with oversight on ministries, detailed scrutiny by these panels was not feasible.

A positive development was the time invested by members of both Houses in discussing and debating the Budget's provisions. There have been previous instances where the Budget was adopted without sufficient debate due to frequent disruptions in Parliament.

For example, the Lok Sabha debated the Demands for Grants for four ministries-Railways, Education, Health and Family Welfare, and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying-for nearly 30 hours, compared to the allotted 16 hours, with Railways taking up the majority of the time. Debate on the Finance Bill lasted nearly 11 hours before adoption. In the Rajya Sabha, the Budget discussion extended over 20 hours, covering the Ministries of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Housing and Urban Affairs, and New and Renewable Energy, with the Finance Bill debated for nearly eight hours.

Time overruns are a recurring issue, with members often needing reminders from the presiding officer to conclude their speeches, sometimes due to interruptions from........

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