Sumitra Mahajan lauds LS for passing Union Budget before 1 April, calls it start of an 'important tradition'

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Wednesday congratulated the House members, Ministers and the government for completing the process of passing the Union Budget before 1 April. [caption id=“attachment_3354710” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan. PTI.[/caption] “An important tradition has been started… I am happy that before 1 April, all processes related to the Budget, related to tax or expenditure, have been completed. This is for the first time in independent India. This is a historic moment,” Mahajan said soon after the House met. “Earlier, Budget would be presented in April, March or as in the last few years, at the end of February. Budget allocation was a part of four-five month long process,” she said. “This time, processes being completed before 1 April — this means departments will get allocation from 1 April,” the Speaker added. She said this will give government departments a whole year to spend on old and new schemes. “State governments will also get help in preparing their own budgets,” she said and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar and other Ministers and members. The Budget this year was presented on 1 February.