Budget 2026 Expectations: Will Nirmala Sitharaman present budget on Sunday, February 1?

Nirmala Sitharaman will break her own record and become the first Indian Finance Minister to present the Budget for the nine consecutive sessions. This will take her closer to the record of 10 budgets that were presented by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai over different time periods. Desai has presented a total of 6 budgets during his tenure as finance minister from 1959 to 1964, and 4 budgets between 1967 and 1969.

Former Finance Ministers P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee had presented nine and eight budgets, respectively, under different Prime Ministers.

Sitharaman in 2019 was appointed as India's first full-time woman finance minister when Prime Minister Modi won a decisive second term. After PM Modi came back to power in 2024 for the third time, Sitharaman continued to retain her finance portfolio.

This will not be the first time a Budget will be presented during the weekend. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Budget 2025 on a Saturday. Former FM Arun Jaitley presented Budget 2015 on February 28 (Saturday) and Budget 2016 on February 28 (Saturday).

India's budget expectations are positive as strong GDP performance, robust industrial output reflected in recent IIP data, sustained reforms, improved ease of doing business and a clear government focus on job creation lift confidence in the economy and industry outlook, DCM Shriram Ltd Chairman Ajay S. Shriram said, told ANI. "Our budget expectations are positive," Shriram told ANI on the sidelines of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC)'s Centenary Curtain Raiser, Reaffirms Role in Shaping India's Economic Leadership. "The IIP index number is very positive, it just came this week, and GDP was very strong at the last point. It was very strong," he added. - ANI

With the Union Budget less than a month away, India’s fast-growing space startup sector is asking the government for simpler rules and early purchase commitments from its agencies to help turn the technology into a viable business. While official support for private space companies has improved in recent years, high costs and the lack of early government customers continue to make it hard to build and sell space hardware from India, say founders. Read more

India's budget expectations are positive as strong GDP performance, robust industrial output reflected in recent IIP data, sustained reforms, improved ease of doing business and a clear government focus on job creation lift confidence in the economy and industry outlook, DCM Shriram Ltd Chairman Ajay S. Shriram said, told ANI.

"Our budget expectations are positive," Shriram told ANI on the sidelines of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC)'s Centenary Curtain Raiser, Reaffirms Role in Shaping India's Economic Leadership. "The IIP index number is very positive, it just came this week, and GDP was very strong at the last point. It was very strong," he added.

According to a Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation release on Monday, India's Index of Industrial Production recorded growth of 6.7 per cent in November 2025, led by the Manufacture of basic metals and fabricated metal products, pharmaceuticals, and motor vehicles.

Referring to the more than Rs 11 lakh crore capital expenditure provision in the FY26 budget, Raman said the next budget, to be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the coming weeks, is expected to follow a similar trajectory. He noted that there has already been an improvement in the way large infrastructure projects are being planned, though he cautioned that awarding contracts solely to the lowest bidder, without adequate technical capability, often leads to execution delays.

Speaking to PTI, Raman said sustained infrastructure investment will be essential for India to achieve its target of becoming a developed economy by 2047. He added that the government is well aware of the sector's importance and is likely to allocate adequate resources in the forthcoming budget.

Larsen and Toubro chief financial officer R Shankar Raman expects the government to increase capital expenditure by around 10 percent in the Union Budget for FY27, even as concerns persist over slowing private investment. He said he does not foresee public spending crowding out private capital, noting that sufficient liquidity in the system should continue to support investments.

The government is expected to table the Seed Bill in Parliament during the forthcoming budget session to improve quality control, ensure traceability, and curb the sale of spurious seeds, the Financial Express reported, citing a senior agriculture ministry official. Devesh Chaturvedi, secretary in the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare, told the Financial Express that more than 9,500 suggestions and comments have been received on the draft legislation and are currently being examined. "We have received over 9,500 inputs or comments on the draft seed bill and we are analysing these comments. The target is to introduce it in the forthcoming session of Parliament," he said. The Draft Seed Bill, 2025, had been placed in the public domain for consultation until December 11, 2025, the Financial Express noted.

The Indian Rice Exporters' Federation (IREF) has appealed to the Union government to introduce targeted fiscal and policy measures in the Union Budget 2026 to strengthen India's rice export ecosystem, encompassing both basmati and non-basmati varieties. In a representation to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the federation highlighted the significance of rice exports for the economy, rural livelihoods, and global food security, ANI reported. It pointed out multiple challenges facing the sector, including ecological stress, rising costs, and market volatility, and emphasized that focused budgetary support could enhance competitiveness, ensure sustainability, and provide better returns for farmers.

IMF estimates central government's upcoming Budget may not further lower fiscal deficit figure as revenue dips and interest costs rise (Read More)

Under the earlier system, Parliament had to pass a 'Vote on Account' to meet government expenses for the first quarter of the new financial year, allowing withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund of India.

Before 2017, the Union Budget was traditionally presented on the last day of February, leaving limited time for parliamentary scrutiny and approval.

The practice of presenting the Union Budget on February 1 was introduced in 2017 by the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, marking a significant procedural reform.

By advancing the budget presentation to February 1, the government enabled the full implementation of budgetary proposals from April 1, the first day of the new financial year.

Since 2017, February 1 has been chosen as the date for presenting the Union Budget. The objective was to ensure that Parliament has adequate time to approve the budget before the start of the new financial year at the end of March.

Presenting the Union Budget on a weekend is not without precedent. Finance Minister Sitharaman presented the budget on a Saturday in 2025, while former finance minister Arun Jaitley tabled it on a Saturday in 2015 and on a Sunday in 2016, a leap year. As the countdown to Budget Day begins, attention is now focused on signals from the government, industry, and policymakers.

Despite these indications, there is still speculation that the budget presentation could be moved to February 2. No official announcement has been made so far, and clarity is expected only after the budget session dates of Parliament are formally notified.

A CNBC-TV18 report suggests the government is leaning towards maintaining the February 1 schedule. Quoting sources, the report said budget preparations are progressing on the assumption that it will be presented on the customary date, which has become the norm in recent years.

According to news agency PTI, if long-standing parliamentary traditions are followed, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to present the General Budget for 2026-27 on Sunday itself. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the decision will be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs at the appropriate time.

India's Union Budget has been presented on February 1 every year since 2017, replacing the earlier practice of tabling it on the last working day of February. In 2026, however, February 1 falls on a Sunday, raising questions over whether the budget will be presented that day or postponed to Monday, February 2.