India says budget on schedule on Wednesday despite death of sitting MP

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The finance minister is expected to present the annual federal budget on schedule later on Wednesday despite the death of a sitting member of parliament, a spokesman for the prime minister's office said. Parliament typically adjourns for a day after the death of a member, although Indian TV channels cited a precedent where the budget presentation had still gone ahead in a previous year. A final decision on the timing of the budget will be taken when political parties and the speaker of the house meet early on Wednesday, officials said. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is expected to boost spending and ease back on cutting the deficit when he presents his fourth budget, as he seeks to lift growth hit by the government's drive to purge the economy of "black money". (Reporting by Rupam Jain and Tommy Wilkes; Editing by Kim Coghill)