Lagatar24 Desk
The Union Budget 2025 is expected to be presented on February 1, 2025, at 11 AM. While preparations are underway at the Ministry of Finance for the Modi 3.0 government’s second full budget, an official confirmation on the date is yet to be announced. Traditionally, the Union Budget is presented in February, and the chosen date usually aligns with operational and public considerations such as weekends or holidays. This year, despite falling on a Saturday, the stock market is expected to remain open to accommodate budget-related activities. The session will be broadcast live across news channels and streamed online via official platforms, ensuring public access to all updates.
Since 2017, February 1 has been a consistent date for presenting the budget, ensuring key fiscal announcements are made well ahead of the financial year starting on April 1. Before this change, the budget was traditionally presented on the last working day of February, a practice rooted in colonial-era policies that aligned with London’s working hours. This timing often left limited scope for the financial markets and policymakers to analyze the announcements on the same day.
In 1997, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram made the groundbreaking shift to presenting the budget at 11 AM, bringing greater transparency and allowing same-day reactions from stakeholders. Later, in 2017, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley introduced the February 1 timeline, allowing sufficient time for parliamentary approvals and ensuring that budgetary measures could be implemented from the very start of the fiscal year.
As the finance ministry gears up for Nirmala Sitharaman’s eighth budget presentation, the focus remains on addressing economic priorities and balancing growth with fiscal prudence. All eyes are on the government as citizens await official confirmation of the budget presentation date and look forward to its impact on India’s economy.
