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The US President usually gives an annual State of the Union speech during a Joint Session of the Congress. Is there an Indian equivalent to the US State of the Union speech?

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In the Consistution of India, Article 87 states that,

(1) At the commencement of the first session after each general election to the House of the People and at the commencement of the first session of each year the President shall address both Houses of Parliament assembled together and inform Parliament of the causes of its summons.

This is likely the closest equivalent to the U.S. State of the Union, and according to PRS Legislative Research, the speech "essentially highlights the government’s policy priorities and plans for the upcoming year" and "provides a broad framework of the government’s agenda and direction."

The most recent address, as of the time of this post, appears to have been on January 29, 2018, given by President Ram Nath Kovind.

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  • Note that a speech like this is common in parliaments modelled after the Westminster system. In the UK, it's called the Queen's Speech; in some Commonwealth realms, it's the Speech from the Throne. As in India, the purpose is the same: to set out the government's legislative agenda for the coming session.
    – Steve Melnikoff
    May 29, 2018 at 22:22

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