PM Modi and senior ministers along with leaders from other parties at the all-party meet at Parliament House on Sunday. (Press Trust of India)
The Narendra Modi government will announce its first full-year plan to jumpstart the economy and push key legislation in the budget session that begins today.
On Sunday, at an all-party meeting, PM Modi reached out to opposition parties and said, "The country looks at Budget session with hopes and aspirations, it is the collective responsibility of all parties to ensure it runs smoothly."
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the budget on Saturday. Before that, the railway budget will also be announced.
The session will begin with President Pranab Mukherjee's address outlining the government's agenda and vision. He is likely to speak about an inclusive growth policy and social harmony, which has been a central theme in his recent speeches.
The session will end on May 8, with a month's break between March 20 and April 20.
To pass key bills, the government needs the help of the opposition, especially in the Rajya Sabha, where it is in a minority.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and described the meeting as cordial.
"The government is willing to walk the extra mile to accommodate the Opposition. My only appeal is that House should be allowed to function smoothly," Mr Naidu said.
The government is likely to make changes in the land acquisition bill, which has drawn protests from farmers as well as opposition parties. It also plans to clear ordinances on raising the foreign investment limit in insurance and on auctioning coal mines.
The Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said the Congress will not support ordinances and bills that "do not help people".
In its nine months in office, the government has used the ordinance, or an emergency executive order, 10 times to skirt its lack of majority in the Rajya Sabha, where the opposition Congress has most numbers and has led other parties in blocking legislation.