New Delhi, January 28 – Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla emphasized that the President’s address to Parliament is far more than a ceremonial ritual. It serves as a pivotal message steering the nation’s direction ahead of the Budget Session.
Birla shared his insights on social media platform X, noting the session’s commencement with President Droupadi Murmu’s speech to the joint sitting of both Houses at 11 AM. ‘This address isn’t mere tradition,’ he stated. ‘It’s a crucial blueprint outlining future policies, decisions, and programs that encapsulate the roadmap for the year’s developmental journey.’
He highlighted how the speech mirrors democracy’s core ethos, where public aspirations shape policymaking, and Parliament executes them. In a accompanying video, Birla traced India’s budgetary evolution since independence.
Post-1947, India’s economy was frail, with the first central budget at roughly 197 crore rupees against a 2.78 lakh crore economy, prioritizing food security, governance, and basic infrastructure. The 1960s-70s Green Revolution boosted investments in public sectors and rural areas, achieving food self-sufficiency.
The 1991 reforms transformed priorities. From 1991-92’s 1 lakh crore budget and $270 billion GDP, growth accelerated: 2000-01 saw 3-4 lakh crore spending with $468 billion GDP; 2010-11 hit 10-12 lakh crore budget and $1.67 trillion GDP. Even amid 2020-21 pandemic, the budget reached 35 lakh crore with $2.67 trillion GDP.
Today, budgets exceed 50 lakh crore, economy over $4 trillion – a 25,000-fold surge from 1947. Focus has shifted from survival to world-class infrastructure like expressways, railways, airports; digital initiatives, startups, defense manufacturing, green energy, AI, data centers, semiconductors, and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Birla’s remarks underscore the address’s role in uniting Parliament around national priorities, setting the tone for transformative fiscal policies.
