While the Budget has been presented on 1 February for the past many years, this was not always the case.
Here’s a look at how the date and time of the Union Budget evolved over the decades.
Tracing India’s Budget journey
The first Budget of independent India was presented on 26 November 1947 by Finance Minister R.K. Shanmukham Chetty.
Since then, India has grown into one of the fastest-moving economies in the world, and the budget has evolved alongside this journey, with changes in both its timing and presentation.
When was Budget presented earlier?
Until 2016, the government presented the Union Budget on the last working day of February. This, however, changed in 2017.
Change in Budget date
In 2017, then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley made a historic move by shifting the Budget date from the last day of February to 1 February. Since then, the Union Budget has always been presented on 1 February, except during interim Budgets necessitated by Lok Sabha elections.
Why was Budget date changed?
The government advanced the Budget date to streamline the process and ensure a timely implementation. Presenting the budget earlier gave ministries, departments and stakeholders more time to make necessary changes before the financial year began in April.
Budget time shift
For decades, the finance minister would present the Budget at 5 pm — a colonial-era practice aligned with UK time zones. In 1999, then Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha shifted the Budget presentation timing to 11 am. Since then, the Budget has been presented in the Parliament at 11 am.
Union Budget 2026
Union Budget 2026 will be presented on Sunday, 1 February 2026. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will deliver her ninth consecutive Union Budget, marking a personal milestone in her tenure.
Budget 2026 is expected to focus on India’s growth trajectory through allocations to key sectors, including railways, infrastructure, urban development, manufacturing, auto, defence, electronics, MSME, renewable energy and AI.
