Budget to be presented on Feb 1 as Centre clears schedule: Will markets be open on Sunday?

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present her ninth consecutive Union Budget, which will also be the 88th Budget since Independence.

• Union Budget 2026 to be presented on Sunday, February 1 for the first time
• President's address set for January 28, Economic Survey on January 29
• NSE may open equity markets on Budget day, decision pending official schedule

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The Centre has put an end to speculation surrounding the Union Budget 2026 schedule. There had been considerable buzz this year as February 1 falls on a Sunday.

Reports had suggested that the Budget presentation might be pushed to Monday, February 2. However, a key meeting held by the Centre has now cleared the uncertainty.

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) has proposed the key dates for the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament. As per the proposal, the President's address will be delivered on January 28, while the Economic Survey will be tabled in Parliament on January 29.

The Union Budget is proposed to be presented on Sunday, February 1. This will mark the first time in recent history that the Union Budget is presented on a Sunday.

Reports indicate that the first part of Parliament's Budget Session will be held between January 28 and February 13, while the second part of the session is scheduled between March 9 and April 2.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present her ninth consecutive Union Budget, which will also be the 88th Budget since Independence. Since 2017, the government has followed the practice of presenting the Budget at 11 am on February 1, after advancing it from the earlier convention of February 28. This change was introduced during the tenure of former finance minister Arun Jaitley to enable quicker implementation of budgetary measures from the start of the new financial year.

Presenting the Budget on a weekend is not without precedent. Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2025 on a Saturday, while Jaitley delivered the Budgets for 2015 and 2016 on February 28, both of which also fell on Saturdays.

The key question now revolves around market operations. The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has earlier indicated that it is evaluating the possibility of keeping equity markets open on Sunday, February 1, 2026, if the Union Budget is presented on that day.

The exchange has clarified that no final decision has been taken so far and that any move will depend on the central government's official announcement of the Budget schedule. At present, the proposal remains under internal review.

Opening the markets on a Sunday would not be unprecedented. In the past, stock exchanges have operated on non-trading days when the Union Budget was presented on a weekend or public holiday.

The NSE has also stated that it is examining the operational feasibility of conducting market activities on February 1, which falls on a Sunday this year. Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has not yet made any announcement regarding the possible opening of equity markets on that day.