New Delhi: The Union Cabinet tonight (Jan 27, 2004) decided to dissolve the Lok Sabha on February 6.

The Cabinet, which met with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the chair, adopted a one-line resolution that the Lok Sabha be dissolved on February 6 after passage of the vote-on-account, official sources said.

After the Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister drove to Rashtrapati Bhavan and apprised President A P J Abdul Kalam of the Government decision.

The dissolution will follow a brief five-day session of the Parliament convened to pass the interim Budget (general) that will include a vote-on-account for meeting Government expenditure for four months from April.

The session is also likely to pass the vote-on-account (Railways).

Both the Houses are expected to be adjourned on February 5. There will be no Presidential address in the session as it would be construed as part of the winter session, which is yet to be prorogued.

Usually the first session of the year begins with the Presidential address to a joint sitting to both Houses of Parliament.

Though there will be not new tax proposals along with vote-on-account, Government has already announced customs and excise duty cuts on several intermediaries, raw materials to push up growth.

The give-aways due to cut in excise and customs duties and abolition of four per cent special additional customs duty on January 8 would cost the exchequer Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 crore in a full year.