Budget 2017: Govt convenes all-party meet today, seeks Opposition's support

The government has convened an all-party meeting today ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament to seek opposition's support for the smooth conduct of proceedings in both the Houses.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has also called a meeting of leaders of political parties in the House same evening.

The Budget Session will start from Tuesday with President Pranab Mukherjee's address to a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

The Economic Survey will also be presented on the first day of the session. General Budget will be presented on Wednesday.

The two Houses will have a month long recess from February 10 to March 8 to enable the Standing Committees to consider the Demands for Grants of Ministries and Departments and prepare their reports.

Statsguru: Budget expectations

FM might also refer transitioning to a universal basic income (UBI) architecture in his Budget:

By all accounts, growth has slowed after demonetisation. But while some analysts expect it to bounce back quickly after full remonetisation, others aren’t so sure. 

It is what the government believes that will determine whether Finance Minister Arun Jaitley deviates from the path of fiscal consolidation or stays on track. As Chart 1 shows, governments tend to loosen the purse strings when growth falters. Read more