Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman leaves her office to present the budget to Parliament in New Delhi on February 1, 2022. (Photo Reuters)

As the Covid-19 situation has eased considerably, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will have concurrent sittings from 11 a.m., instead of the two separate shifts during the first part of the budget session from January 29 to 11 February.

The session comes days after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recorded victories in Assembly polls in four states – Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur – while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seized power in Punjab.

The first part of the budget session had started on January 29 with the speech of President Ram Nath Kovind to a joint session of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in the central hall of Parliament, which was followed by the presentation of the economic study . Sitharaman presented the Union Budget on February 1, followed by discussion of the President’s Vote of Thanks and the Union Budget.

Following the meeting of the Congress working committee, the party decided to raise issues such as the alleged delay in the evacuation of Indians from Ukraine, the future of students returning from the war-torn country, the rising prices, the border dispute with China and unemployment, among others, in session.