As India expects the 2025 Union Budget, the budget session of parliament starting this Friday shall bear witness to presentation of 16 crucial bills – which also entails the Finance Bill 2025, the much-debated Waqf (Amendment) Bill, and reforms to the Banking Regulations Act. The session, which starts with the Economic Survey 2024/25, promises to be one of the most consequential in recent years, with several bills that could impact diverse sectors of governance and public life.
High-Profile Bills on the Agenda
Waqf (Amendment) Bill
One of the most contentious pieces of legislation in the 2025 Budget session is the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. This bill introduces 44 amendments to the management of Muslim charitable properties in India, aiming to streamline their administration and accountability. Introduced in August 2024, the bill was met with protests from opposition parties and was referred to a parliamentary committee for review. The committee’s report, which included 14 recommendations mainly from BJP members, is to be discussed, despite significant opposition objections. This bill is going to raise hot debates because it is sensitive from the religious and political point of view.
Finance Bill 2025
The Finance Bill is the very heart of the Union Budget. It sets the tone for the country’s financial policies for the coming year. Another new direct tax code has already emerged as one of the expected reforms. This new code is believed to lead towards replacing the Income Tax Act of 1961. Though sources suggest that this new tax code may not feature in the Finance Bill 2025 but will be made public later, the bill is likely to carry several important provisions to change the tax laws and fiscal governance. Further reforms are coming in the form of banking laws that would actually bring about some better governance, and investor protection within the banking sector.
Immigration and Foreigners Bill 2025
The other major bill to be debated is the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, which deals with illegal immigration-thereby becoming one of the biggest issues in states like West Bengal and Jharkhand. The proposed act mainly aims to replace the outdated laws present in the system, such as the Foreigners Act of 1946, with new and more comprehensive measures for controlling immigration. It has the potential to emerge as a benchmark law on this issue, answering the rising concerns over illegal immigration predominantly from neighboring countries like Bangladesh.
Other Significant Bills
Apart from the Waqf Amendment Bill and Finance Bill, the following other significant legislative proposals are in the queue for consideration:
- Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill: The bill seeks to rename the Institute of Rural Management Anand as an “institution of national importance.”
- Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill: This bill will strengthen disaster response by transferring disaster planning to central and state-level forces.
- Oilfields Amendment Bill: This is a bill aimed at updating the laws concerning oil exploration and extraction in India.
- Shipping Laws Reform: Several bills, including the Bills of Lading Bill, Coastal Shipping Bill, and Merchant Shipping Bill, are set to modernize maritime regulations.
- Boilers Bill: strenuous safety bill for the industrial boilers.
- Readjustment of Scheduled Tribes’ Representation in Goa: A readjustment bill that reallocates the number of assembly seats in Goa to better represent Scheduled Tribes.
Immigration and Foreign Policy
The Immigration and Foreigners Bill, for example, is likely to be the new hot topic in the political arena, for control of illegal immigrants remains a hallmark of BJP policy. Further, this bill may replace older immigration laws with stricter controls over foreigners coming into India, mainly for stopping illegal immigrants. Though it has featured in the list of priorities by the government, Cabinet decisions will only decide its passage.
A Session for the Ages in Legislation
This is a budget session India will never forget. It is both for the making and breaking. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are set to press ahead with all crucial reforms that should force a departure in the fields of taxation, immigration, banking, and education.
Discussions will be dominated by the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and the Finance Bill. The passage of these and other bills will, however depend on the cooperation of various political parties. Given the controversy surrounding the Waqf Bill and the sensitivity of issues like immigration, this session may witness intense debates in both Houses of Parliament.
The Budget session of 2025 will be inaugurated with the President’s address to both Houses of Parliament, followed by the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1. The first part of the session will conclude on February 13 and the second part will resume on March 10 and conclude on April 4.
These key bills being passed are important for the ruling BJP not just for governance but also to set an agenda leading up to the 2024 general elections. All these bills are ones that fall under the BJP’s priority list—economical reforms, national security, and adding muscle to India’s regulatory framework.
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