Nirmala Sitharaman to present Union Budget for record ninth time today

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for the financial year 2026–27 in the Lok Sabha on February 1, marking a record ninth consecutive Budget presentation by her.

According to the Lok Sabha List of Business, the House will meet at 11 am, when Sitharaman will place before Parliament a statement of the estimated receipts and expenditure of the Government of India for 2026–27.

The Finance Minister will also table two mandatory statements under Section 3(1) of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003—the Medium-term Fiscal Policy-cum-Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement and the Macro-economic Framework Statement.

As per parliamentary procedure, Sitharaman will seek leave to introduce the Finance Bill, 2026, and formally introduce it in the Lok Sabha. The Finance Bill provides the legal framework to implement the government’s financial proposals, including taxation measures.

Ahead of the Budget, Sitharaman on Thursday tabled the Economic Survey 2025–26 in Parliament, continuing the long-standing tradition of presenting the state of the economy before outlining fiscal policy measures. The Economic Survey is regarded as the government’s official annual assessment of economic performance and serves as a key reference for Budget decisions.

Prepared by the Economic Division of the Department of Economic Affairs under the Chief Economic Adviser (CEA), the survey is presented in two parts, covering a detailed review of economic developments over the past year and offering a broad policy outlook.

Referring to the Economic Survey, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said the First Advance Estimates project real GDP growth of 7.4 per cent for FY 2025–26, reaffirming India’s status as the fastest-growing major economy for the fourth consecutive year.

Goyal also highlighted that inflation stood at 1.7 per cent during April–December 2025, attributing the moderation largely to a decline in food prices, particularly vegetables and pulses. He further underscored the government’s push to strengthen manufacturing, describing India’s transition from ‘Swadeshi’ to ‘Strategic Resilience’ and now ‘Strategic Indispensability’.

The Budget session of Parliament will have 30 sittings spread over 65 days and is scheduled to conclude on April 2. Both Houses will adjourn for a recess on February 13 and reconvene on March 9, allowing Standing Committees to examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments.