New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be presenting Budget 2025 on February 1, 2025. There are many traditions related to budget which are followed even today. In this article, we inform you about the age-old unique facts about the budget in the country.
Nirmala Sitharaman holds the record of giving the longest budget speech till date. While presenting the Budget 2020, she he gave a speech of 2 hours and 42 minutes. What is more interesting is, despite the long speech, two pages of the script of the budget speech were left to be read out. In 2019, Sitharaman surprised everyone by replacing the traditional briefcase with a ‘bahi khata’. Two years later in 2021, she moved towards a paperless budget, thus marking a significant technological shift in 2021.
Who gave the shortest Budget speech in the country? – In the year 1977, the then finance minister Hirubhai Muljibhai Patel gave the shortest speech. The speech was only 800 words long.
Late Dr Manmohan Singh, who served as the country’s finance minister from 1991-1996 is credited with presenting a Budget in 1991 that changed the economy of India. Dr Singh read out a 18,650 word long Budget speech in 1991.
When Budget papers got leaked
Despite tight security in place before the presentation of the Union Budget, the budget documents were leaked in the year 1950. After this incident, printing of the budget speech at Rashtrapati Bhavan was stopped. The then government started printing the Budget papers in the government press at Minto Road. After a few years, in 1980, the printing process was shifted to North Block i.e. inside the Finance Ministry.
Prior to 1955-56, the country’s general budget was published in English. After this, it started getting published in Hindi. Indira Gandhi, is credited with becoming the first woman finance minister in India. She presented the budget in 1970.
This article explores the fascinating history of India’s Union Budget presentations, highlighting key traditions and memorable moments. From Nirmala Sitharaman’s record-breaking long speech to Hirubhai Patel’s concise presentation, we uncover interesting facts. We also discuss the infamous 1950 budget leak and the subsequent changes in security protocols. Biz News Business News – Personal Finance News, Share Market News, BSE/NSE News, Stock Exchange News Today
