New Delhi, Jan 3 (UNI) The Budget session of Parliament is likely to commence on January 31 with presentation of the Union Budget for 2016-17 expected on February 1, sources said today. The sources said that a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs this morning recommended to the President the holding of the Budget session from January 31. They said that the session would begin with President Pranab Mukherjee's address to the joint session of Parliament on January 31. The Economic survey is likely to be tabled in Parliament on January 31. The first part of the Budget session would be held till February 9, the sources said. Parliament will go into recess on February 9 and thereafter meeting again in the first week of March after the recess, the sources said. The government has this year decided to advance the date of the presentation of the Budget to February 1 instead of the last day of the month. The Government is advancing the Budget session, as it wants early allocation of funds for various schemes in the financial year, which begins from April 1. Also, as per the decision already taken by the Government, there would be no separate Railway Budget this time. This will end the 92-year-old practice of presenting a separate Rail Budget, with the Finance Ministry accepting Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s proposal to merge it with the General Budget. UNI AR ADG SHK 1514