RAS question
With reference to the Budget Session of Parliament 2026, which commenced on January 28, 2026, consider the following statements: 1. The Budget Session was inaugurated by the President's address to a joint sitting of both Houses. 2. The Union Budget 2026-27 was presented on January 28, 2026 itself. 3. The Economic Survey 2025-26 was tabled in Parliament before the Union Budget. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct answer: (B) 1 and 3 only.
In the Budget Session of Parliament 2026, only statements 1 and 3 are correct: the session began with the President's address to both Houses, and the Economic Survey 2025-26 was tabled before the Union Budget.
Explanation
The correct combination is 1 and 3 only. Statement 1 is right because the Budget Session 2026 began on January 28, 2026, with the President's address to both Houses assembled together. Statement 2 is wrong because the Union Budget 2026-27 was not presented on the opening day; the Finance Minister, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, presented it in Parliament on February 1, 2026. Statement 3 is right because the live PIB release confirms that the Economic Survey 2025-26 was tabled in Parliament by the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman. Since that tabling preceded the Union Budget, the answer is 1 and 3 only.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Option A includes statement 2, but the Union Budget 2026-27 was presented on February 1, 2026, not on January 28.
- (C) Option C omits statement 1, although the session began with the President addressing both Houses assembled together on January 28, 2026.
- (D) Option D accepts statement 2 as correct, but January 28 was the commencement date of the session, not the date of the Union Budget presentation.
Concept
This tests the parliamentary sequence of the Budget Session: President's address, Economic Survey, and Union Budget. It recurs in RAS because constitutional procedure is often asked through recent Parliament events.