Parliament completes budget exercise for FY25 with RS returning bills to LS

Parliamentary approval for the Budget 2024-25 was completed on Thursday with the Rajya Sabha returning the relevant legislations to the Lok Sabha after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's spirited reply to the debate emphasising Budget was aimed at promoting investments and creating jobs.

The Rajya Sabha returned the Appropriation Bill and the Finance Bill to the Lok Sabha, thus completing the budgetary exercise for 2024-25. The Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill too was returned to the Lower House.

Earlier, these bills were approved by the Lok Sabha.

Sitharaman presented the Budget in the Lok Sabha on July 23. It was her seventh Budget.

Replying to the discussions in the Upper House, the minister said the Union Budget balances different overriding imperatives, including growth, employment, capital expenditure, and fiscal consolidation.

"In a nutshell, the Union Budget this year balances several overriding imperatives, growth, employment generation, capital investment, and fis