Budget bonanza for Bihar ahead of polls? FM Nirmala Sitharaman's saree offers a clue

The saree worn by FM Sitharaman is a tribute to Madhubani Art

Dressed in a Madhubani art saree made by Padma awardee Dulari Devi, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday posed with her team holding the traditional “bahi khata” ahead of presenting the Union Budget 2025 in Parliament.

The finance minister's white saree with a colourful Madhubani motif and intricate golden border was paired with a red blouse and a shawl. Her accessories included gold bangles, a chain, and earrings.

#WATCH | Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman leaves from the Ministry of Finance.She will present and read out the #UnionBudget2025 at the Parliament through a tab, instead of the traditional 'bahi khata'. pic.twitter.com/89XblFTwmk
ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2025

During a visit to Madhubani, FM Nirmala Sitharaman met artist Dulari Devi at the Mithila Art Institute during a credit outreach event. They discussed Madhubani art in Bihar. Dulari Devi gifted her a saree and requested her to wear it on Budget Day.

Who is Dulari Devi?

Dulari Devi, a Mithila painter from Bihar, was honoured with the Padma Shri at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavanin 2021. Living in Bihar's Madhubani district, she first picked up the paintbrush when working as a domestic help at the house of a Mithila painter. In the almost three decades since, she has used it to bring new colours to her and her family’s life and also make more prominent the ‘Dalit school’ in an art still associated strongly with Maithil Brahmins.

Connection to Bihar

In a 32-page memorandum submitted to Sitharaman ahead of the Budget, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary sought Rs 13,000 crore in aid from the Centre for flood management in North Bihar, upgrading Darbhanga airport, new airports in Rajgir and Bhagalpur, and funding for Raxaul airport. He also requested the construction of 10 new Kendriya Vidyalayas, a 1 per cent Gross State Domestic Product relaxation for additional borrowing, and approval of a small modular nuclear reactor, apart from high-speed corridors.

The Union Budget for 2024-25 had allocated Rs 59,000 crore for road connectivity, power, and flood management in Bihar. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had then said the Centre should either grant Bihar special category status (SCS) or a special package.