This time Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman can present the general budget for the financial year 2026-27 on Sunday, 1 February 2026. Officials hinted at this possibility on Friday. If parliamentary traditions are followed, the day of presentation of this budget will be Sunday.
Budget 2026: As per parliamentary traditions, if the procedure is followed, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman may present the General Budget for the financial year 2026-27 on Sunday. Officials hinted at this possibility on Friday. It is noteworthy that since 2017, the budget has generally been presented on 1 February, and next year this day is falling on Sunday.
History of budget presentation date
From the year 2017, the general budget started being presented on 1 February. Earlier the budget was presented on the last day of February. The then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had started this new practice in 2017 so that the budget could be approved in Parliament and implemented with the beginning of the new financial year on April 1. Specifically, the goal of presenting the Budget on February 1 is to ensure timely implementation of plans and economic policies for the new fiscal year. Finance Ministry officials say that the date for presenting the general budget has already been decided.
According to parliamentary traditions, Parliament usually meets from Monday to Friday. However, under special circumstances, meetings have been held on Sundays also. For example, there were sittings in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and on a Sunday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first sitting of Parliament on 13 May 2012.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, these decisions are taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs from time to time. The date of presentation of the budget is also decided in the same sequence.
Why is the date of February 1 important?
In India, the concept of considering Sunday as a holiday has been going on since the British times. However, this does not become an obstacle on the date of presenting the budget. According to officials, the date for the general budget is fixed and adjusted according to the activities of the Parliament. The main objective of presenting the budget on 1 February is that the plans and policies of the budget can be implemented from 1 April, the beginning of the new financial year. This makes it easier to operate the economy and government schemes smoothly.
This practice continues since 2017 and during this time the budget is passed in the Parliament by the end of March. Due to this, policy decisions are implemented in advance at the beginning of the financial year. The Finance Ministry will focus on reviving the economy, increasing investment and employment and strengthening fiscal policies in this budget. Experts say that sectors like education, health, infrastructure and digital economy will be prominent in the upcoming budget.
Nirmala Sitharaman’s experience and previous years’ budget presentations indicate that both the strategy and timing of presenting the budget will be well thought out to keep the economy balanced.
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