What Happened
- Both Houses of Parliament -- Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha -- were adjourned on February 13 for a three-week recess, and will reconvene on March 9 for the second part of the Budget Session.
- The recess enables the 24 Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committees to examine the Demands for Grants of various central ministries and departments presented in the Union Budget.
- The first part of the Budget Session, which began on January 28 with the President's address to the joint sitting, spanned 12 working days and saw the general discussion on the Union Budget.
- The Finance Minister replied to the Budget discussion in both Houses during the last days of the first part.
- The Budget Session 2026 is scheduled for 30 sittings over 65 days (13 in the first part, 17 in the second), and is set to conclude on April 2.
Static Topic Bridges
Parliamentary Standing Committees and Demands for Grants
The system of Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committees (DRSCs) was established in 1993 to ensure detailed legislative scrutiny that time constraints on the floor of the House do not permit. There are currently 24 DRSCs -- 16 under Lok Sabha and 8 under Rajya Sabha -- each covering specific ministries and departments. During the Budget recess, these committees examine the Demands for Grants, call ministry officials for evidence, and prepare reports with recommendations. These reports are then laid before both Houses when Parliament reconvenes.
- 24 DRSCs established in 1993; reorganised periodically
- Each committee has 31 members (21 from Lok Sabha, 10 from Rajya Sabha)
- Committees examine Demands for Grants, bills referred to them, and select policy matters
- Committee reports are recommendatory, not binding on the government
- Committee deliberations are confidential; premature publication is a breach of privilege
Connection to this news: The three-week recess is constitutionally and procedurally integral to the budget process -- without it, standing committees would not have adequate time to scrutinise ministry-wise expenditure allocations before Parliament votes on the Demands for Grants.
Budget Process Under the Constitution (Articles 112-114)
The Union Budget (Annual Financial Statement) is presented under Article 112 of the Constitution. Article 113 prescribes the procedure for Demands for Grants -- expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India is non-votable, while other expenditure is submitted as demands to Lok Sabha, which has the power to assent, refuse, or reduce any demand. After the Demands are voted upon, Article 114 requires the introduction of an Appropriation Bill to authorise withdrawal of funds from the Consolidated Fund. Rajya Sabha can only discuss the Budget but cannot vote on Demands for Grants.
- Article 112: Annual Financial Statement (Union Budget)
- Article 113: Demands for Grants submitted only to Lok Sabha
- Article 114: Appropriation Bill -- no money can be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund without parliamentary authorisation
- Article 116: Vote on Account -- allows the government to withdraw funds for part of the year pending full budget approval
- Guillotine: Remaining Demands for Grants are put to vote together without discussion if time runs out
- Only Lok Sabha votes on Demands; Rajya Sabha's role is limited to discussion
Connection to this news: The recess period is the bridge between the general discussion (Article 112 stage) and the voting on Demands for Grants (Article 113 stage). Standing committee scrutiny during this interval ensures that Parliament's financial oversight function is not reduced to a mere formality.
Budgetary Oversight and the Guillotine Problem
A longstanding concern in India's parliamentary system is the "guillotine" -- the practice of putting all remaining Demands for Grants to vote together without discussion when time runs out. In recent years, Parliament has discussed only a fraction of total Demands on the floor of the House, with the rest being passed through the guillotine. This makes the standing committee examination during the recess the primary (and often the only) substantive scrutiny mechanism for most ministry budgets.
- In most recent sessions, Lok Sabha has discussed Demands for Grants of only 4-6 ministries (out of over 100)
- Remaining Demands are guillotined -- voted on without any discussion
- Standing committees thus serve as the de facto primary budget scrutiny mechanism
- The Finance Bill (containing tax proposals) is passed separately and is not subject to committee scrutiny
- Parliament's budget oversight has been declining: total hours spent on budget discussion have fallen over decades
Connection to this news: The adjournment for standing committee examination is particularly significant given the guillotine problem -- for the vast majority of ministry budgets, the committee stage during recess may be the only instance of detailed legislative scrutiny they receive.
Key Facts & Data
- Budget Session 2026: January 28 to April 2 (30 sittings over 65 days)
- First part: 13 sittings (January 28 - February 13); Second part: 17 sittings (March 9 - April 2)
- Recess period: February 13 to March 9 (approximately three weeks)
- 24 Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committees examine Demands for Grants during recess
- Each committee: 31 members (21 Lok Sabha + 10 Rajya Sabha)
- Constitutional basis: Articles 112 (budget presentation), 113 (Demands for Grants), 114 (Appropriation Bill)
- Only Lok Sabha can vote on Demands for Grants; Rajya Sabha can only discuss