Subhechcha Ganguly 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his customary address ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament on Friday, January 31, took a jibe at the Opposition, claiming that for the first time in 10 years, there has been no foreign attempt to stir trouble before the start of the session.
“This is perhaps the first session of Parliament since 2014 where no external force has tried to provoke issues a day prior,” said PM Modi. “For the past decade, there has always been an attempt to create mischief before each session, but this time, there is no shortage of people eager to escalate matters,” he added.
The Prime Minister also emphasized that India is progressing in “mission mode,” with innovation, inclusion, and investment as the core pillars of the country’s economic strategy.
“We are advancing in mission mode… These have been the consistent foundations of our economic roadmap,” PM Modi stated in the Parliament complex a day before the presentation of the 2025 Union Budget.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that the upcoming Budget session will “infuse new confidence and energy” towards achieving the goal of a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India) by 2047, marking the 100th anniversary of India’s independence.
“Friends, I hope we will meet the hopes and aspirations of the nation during this Budget session,” PM Modi said.
The Budget Session, starting on January 31, will be held in two phases and is scheduled to conclude on April 4. The first phase will run until February 13, with both Houses reconvening on March 10 after a recess, before wrapping up on April 4.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Union Budget for 2025 on Saturday, February 1, making her the only finance minister to present the budget for eight consecutive years. However, the record for the most budget presentations still belongs to former Prime Minister Morarji Desai.
