Budget 2025: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sets record with eighth consecutive budget speech

On Saturday, February 1, 2025, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman etched her name in history by presenting her eighth consecutive Union Budget.

This remarkable feat takes place amidst a challenging economic slowdown and growing calls for tax relief for the middle class. With this, Sitharaman moves closer to the record of 10 budgets set by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai.

Desai presented a total of 10 budgets during his tenure, spanning various prime ministers. His term as finance minister saw him present 6 budgets between 1959 and 1964, followed by 4 more between 1967 and 1969.

In comparison, P. Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee, each presented 9 and 8 budgets, respectively, under different prime ministers.

However, FM Sitharaman stands alone in having presented the most consecutive budgets, with 8 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

Sitharaman’s tenure as India's first full-time woman finance minister began in 2019 after Modi's decisive re-election, and she continued in the role after the 2024 general elections when Modi won a third consecutive term.

Here are some notable facts about the Union Budget in independent India:

First Budget by R K Shanmukham Chetty:

The first Union Budget was presented on November 26, 1947, by R K Shanmukham Chetty, India's first finance minister.

Most Budget Presentations (Morarji Desai):

Former Prime Minister Morarji Desai holds the record with 10 budgets.

His first budget, presented on February 28, 1959, marked the beginning of his record-breaking tenure. Desai’s ten budgets included full budgets and interim ones over multiple terms.

Second Most Budget Presentations (P Chidambaram):

P. Chidambaram presented the budget 9 times, including during his term in the Congress-led UPA government. His tenure spanned multiple prime ministers, with budgets presented from 1996 to 2014.

Third Most Budget Presentations (Pranab Mukherjee):



Pranab Mukherjee presented 8 budgets during his time as finance minister, covering several terms between 1982 and 2012, with the last set of budgets presented during the Congress-led UPA government.

Manmohan Singh's Contribution:

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, serving as Finance Minister from 1991-1995, presented five straight budgets, which included significant economic reforms.

Longest Budget Speech (Nirmala Sitharaman):

Sitharaman holds the record for the longest Budget speech, having delivered a 2-hour and 42-minute address on February 1, 2020. She even cut her speech short with two pages remaining.

Longest budget speeches in Indian history (by duration):

• 2 hours 42 minutes: Nirmala Sitharaman (2020)
• 2 hours 17 minutes: Nirmala Sitharaman (2019)
• 2 hours 13 minutes: Jaswant Singh (2003)
• 2 hours 10 minutes: Arun Jaitley (2014)

Longest Speech (By word count):

• Manmohan Singh (1991) - 18,650 words
• Arun Jaitley (2018) - 18,604 words

Shortest Budget Speech:

The shortest Budget speech in history was delivered by Hirubhai Mulljibhai Patel in 1977, lasting only 800 words.

Nirmala Sitaraman’s all budget speeches (before 2025):

• Budget 2024-25: 1 hour and 25 minutes
• Interim Budget 2024: 57 minutes
• 2023 Budget: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• 2022 Budget: 1 hour 30 minutes
• 2021 Budget (first paperless speech): 1 hour and 40 minutes
• 2020 Budget (longest budget speech): 2 hours and 42 minutes
• 2019 Budget: 2 hours and 17 minutes

Sitharaman's Latest Budget Speech Duration:

On February 1, 2025, Nirmala Sitharaman presented her budget speech in just 1 hour and 15 minutes, making it her shortest since 2019, except for the 57-minute address during the interim budget of 2024.

Traditional Timing: Traditionally, the Union Budget was presented on the last day of February at 5 p.m., a colonial-era practice that synchronized announcements in both India and London.

In 1999, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha shifted the Budget presentation time to 11 a.m., a timing that has been followed since.

Change in Presentation Date:

In 2017, the Budget presentation was moved to February 1 to allow faster parliamentary approval and implementation of the Budget starting from April 1.

This change helped avoid delays, as presentations made in late February would lead to late implementation due to lengthy parliamentary processes.