New Delhi, 18 March (H.S.):

Parliament’s scheduled sittings on Thursday, 19 March, and Friday, 20 March, have been cancelled to accommodate the festival holidays of Ugadi and Eid. To compensate for the lost working hours, both Houses will now meet on the weekend of Saturday, 28 March, and Sunday, 29 March, an unusual arrangement in the ongoing Budget Session.

In Lok Sabha, Acting Speaker Jagdambika Pal informed the House on Wednesday that the sittings of 19 and 20 March have been dropped from the calendar due to the festival‑related recess. She added that the House will instead convene on 28 and 29 March to complete its essential business and make up for the time otherwise lost. Questions originally listed for 19–20 March will now be taken up on 23 March.

The Rajya Sabha has already formally announced the change, with Upper‑House Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan informing members that the Council will adjourn on 19 and 20 March and hold special weekend sittings on 28 and 29 March. The move follows requests from several members who noted that multiple festivals including Ugadi, Gudi Padwa and the observance of Ramadan‑related holidays begin that week, making it difficult to hold sittings on the earlier dates.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar