Budget Session 2025: FM Sitharaman’s Next Big Record—What to Expect?
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the eighth consecutive budget for the financial year 2025-26 in the Lok Sabha on February 1. Earlier, she has created history by presenting the budget seven times in a row. She has presented six full-time and two interim budgets.
Before Sitharaman, the names of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee are included among those who presented the budget the most number of times. Morarji Desai presented the budget 10 times during his tenure as Finance Minister. Morarji Desai presented five consecutive full budgets and one interim budget between 1959 and 1964. After this, he presented four budgets between 1967 and 1969.
After Desai comes the name of former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, who has presented the Union Budget 9 times. While Pranab Mukherjee has presented the budget eight times. On Saturday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will equal Pranab Mukherjee by presenting the budget for the eighth consecutive time.
In fact, Sitharaman has presented all the eight consecutive budgets in the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sitharaman became the second Finance Minister of the country in the year 2019. Earlier, Indira Gandhi was the first woman Finance Minister who presented the budget of 1970-71 as Finance Minister.
Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for the first time in the year 2019. In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi formed the government at the Centre for the second consecutive time. Since then, Sitharaman has presented seven budgets. With this, another record will be registered in her name. She will become the third Finance Minister to present the budget the most number of times.
Nirmala Sitharaman also holds the record of speaking for two hours and 42 minutes on the day of the budget. While presenting the budget for the financial year 2019-20 in the year 2019, Sitharaman completed her speech in 2 hours 17 minutes. She made a new record of budget speech in the year 2020-21. She read the longest budget speech of 2 hours 42 minutes in the Lok Sabha. In the financial year 2021-22, she read a 100-minute long budget speech. In the next budget of the financial year 2022-23, she completed her budget speech in 1 hour 31 minutes. In the last full budget of the tenure of Modi Government 2.0, her speech was of 1 hour 25 minutes, this budget was presented for the financial year 2023-24. However, she completed her speech in 60 minutes in the interim budget 2024 of the Modi government. At the same time, the budget speech of the Finance Minister in the financial year 2024-25 was of 1 hour 25 minutes.
Once again the eyes of the whole country are fixed on the budget speech of Nirmala Sitharaman. How long will she present the budget for the eighth time? Also, it will be interesting to see what will come out of her box for the people of the country.
