Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for 2026-27 on February 1, at 11 am. As the country awaits key announcements, here is a look at some lesser-known facts about the past of the Union Budget.
First Budget: On 26 November, 1947, RK Shanmukham Chetty presented the first Budget of Independent India as its first Finance minister. During British rule, the first Budget of India was presented by James Wilson on April 7, 1860.
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Ninth consecutive Budget by Nirmala Sitharaman: Former Prime Minister Morarji Desai holds the record for presenting the most Union Budgets with 10 delivered between 1962 and 1969 while serving as the Finance minister. This time, India's current Finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, will present her ninth consecutive Budget.
Change of date and time: Until 1999, the Union Budget was announced on the last working day of February at 5 pm. However, under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, this practice was changed when Finance minister Yashwant Sinha shifted the time to 11 am. In 2017,Arun Jaitley moved the presentation date for February 1.
Longest Budget speech: Manmohan Singh holds the record for the longest Budget speech by word count, using 18,604 words in his notable 1991 Budget. Arun Jaitley's 2018 speech was close behind, also with 18,604 words. In terms of duration, Nirmala Sithraman holds the record for speaking for two hours and 42 minutes during the 2020-21 Budget presentation. The shortest speech, however, was with about 800 words and delivered by Hirubhai Mulljibhai Patel in 1977.
Language: Language has played a role in the Budget's evolution. It was presented only in English until 1955. That year, the Congress government printed documents in both Hindi and English, making them more accessible to the wider public.
Leaked once: While strict security is maintained, the Union Budget was leaked once in 1950 from the Rashtrapati Bhavan Press, which eventually led to major changes in how the printing process is secured and conducted. After this incident, the printing of Budget papers was shifted in 1980 to the North Block basement, with stern security measures.
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Digital format: The traditional leather briefcase with a 'Bahi Khata' was replaced in 2019. In 2021, the government introduced a fully paperless Budget, which marked a major digital shift.
Prime Ministers who presented Budget: There have been only three Prime Ministers to present the Union Budget, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
Halwa ceremony: The halwa ceremony marks the final stage of Budget preparation. All the officials involved in the drafting of the Budget enter a lock-in period to maintain secrecy after this event. The ceremony for 2026-27 was held on January 27.
