Union Budget 2026: Will the country's general budget be presented on February 1st? Why is there confusion surrounding this?

Union Budget 2026: Preparations for the 2026-27 financial year budget are in full swing. Amidst the preparations, there is much discussion about the date of the budget presentation. India's budget is usually presented on February 1st. However, there is considerable confusion among people about whether this year's budget will be presented on February 1st or not. Let's understand the reason for this confusion.

Every year, the Finance Minister presents India's Union Budget on February 1st. This practice has been in place since 2017. Before that, the budget was presented on the last day of February. However, this year, February 1st, 2026, falls on a Sunday, leading to confusion among many about whether the Union Budget 2026 will be presented on the same day or postponed to the next day, Monday, February 2nd, 2026.

In this situation, the Finance Minister may present the budget on Sunday.
If parliamentary traditions are followed, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for 2026-27 on Sunday. However, when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju was asked about this, he said, "These decisions are taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs at the appropriate time."

According to a PTI report, the February 1st date was chosen to ensure that the budget is implemented on April 1st, the first day of the new financial year.

Before 2017, the Union Budget was presented on the last day of February, and Parliament would vote on a vote on account to withdraw funds from India's Consolidated Fund to cover expenses in the first quarter of the new financial year.

Parliament has also met on Sundays during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parliamentary sessions have been held on Sundays during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and on May 13, 2012, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first meeting of Parliament.

If the budget is presented on Sunday, February 1st this time, it will not be the first time that the budget has been presented during the weekend. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the 2025 budget on Saturday. ​​Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had presented the 2015 budget on February 28 (Saturday) and the 2016 budget also on February 28 (Saturday).

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

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