India Budget: How many so far?

Since 1947, there have been a total of 73 annual budgets, 14 interim budgets and four special budgets.

Paperless Budget - How many so far?

For the first time in 2021, the Union Budget for the financial year 2021-22 was presented in a paperless format, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the trend, the budget for the consequent years (budget 2022-23 & budget 2023-24) was also presented in a paperless format. So this will be the 4th Paperless Budget.

Which Budget Record will Sitharaman Equal?

Sitharaman will equal the record of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai when she presents her sixth straight budget on February 1. Sitharaman, the first full-time woman finance minister of the country, has presented five full budgets since July 2019.

Which Budget Record will Sitharaman Break?

With the presentation of the Interim Budget, Nirmala Sitharaman will surpass the records of her predecessors like Manmohan Singh, Arun Jaitley, P Chidambaram, and Yashwant Sinha, who had presented five budgets in a row.

Photo Credit: Nirmala Sitharaman/X

Who was the First Prime Minister to Present the Budget?

Generally, the Union Budget is presented by the Finance Minister but former PM Jawaharlal Nehru was the first PM to present the budget, when he presented the budget for the financial year 1958-59.

When was Budget Date of Presentation Changed?

Before 2017, the budget was presented every year at the end of February. In the year 2017, the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the budget for the first time on February 1 2017, ending the 92-year-old practice followed during the colonial era under British rule. 

When was the Time of Budget Presentation Changed?

Before the year 1999, the Union Budget was always presented at 5:00 p.m. as a regular practice, continued from the colonial era. However, former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha altered the official time of presentation of the Union Budget to 11:00 a.m. in 1999, and the practice has continued since. 

When was Independent India’s First Budget Presented?

The first-ever budget for an independent India was presented on November 26, 1947, by R K Shanmukham Chetty, who was the Finance Minister at the time.

Who has Presented Highest Number of Budgets?

Morarji Desai holds the record of presenting the highest number of Union Budgets. He presented 10 Budgets – 8 annual and 2 interim Budgets.

Who holds Longest Budget Speech Record (Word Count)?

The record for the longest budget speech is held by former PM and FM Dr. Manmohan Singh with a word count of 18,650 words during the 1991 budget session.

Who holds Longest Budget Speech Record (Time)?

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman holds the record for the longest budget speech in 2020, which lasted 2 hours and 42 minutes.

Photo Credit: Sansad TV

Who holds Shortest Budget Speech Record?

The record for the shortest budget speech is held by former Finance Minister Hirubhai Mulljibhai Patel. In 1977, he presented the Union Budget with a speech containing only 800 words.

When was Railway and Union Budget Merged?

After being presented separately for over 9 decades, the railway budget was incorporated into the Union Budget in the year 2017 and presented as a single unified budget.