Union Budget 2026: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to set new records, achieves big distinction

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Union Budget 2026 on February 1. The people of the country have many expectations from this budget. From railways to education, from health to infrastructure and employment, people in every sector are hoping for some major announcements in this budget. 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is going to present the budget in the Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament for the ninth consecutive time. With this budget presentation, she is going to set several records and also break some existing ones. 

What record does Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hold?

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman holds the record for presenting the Union Budget the most times as a female finance minister, not only in India but also all over the world. She has presented the budget a total of eight consecutive times. Now, in 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the budget in the country's Parliament for a record ninth time. With this, she will further solidify her position as the first female finance minister in India and the world to have presented the budget nine times consecutively.

Will Sitharaman break her own record during Union Budget 2026?

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman holds the record for delivering the longest budget speech. While presenting the 2020-21 budget, she delivered the longest budget speech in Indian history. Finance Minister Sitharaman gave a budget speech of 2 hours and 42 minutes. She thus broke her own record from 2019, when she delivered a 2-hour and 17-minute speech for the Union Budget 2019-20. 

It is expected that if the Union Finance Minister delivers a long speech this time, she might break her own record again. If she does break this record, it will be the second time she has surpassed her own previous record. 

Will Sitharaman better Chidambaram's record?

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has the opportunity to match the record of former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram for presenting the budget. Congress veteran P. Chidambaram presented the budget a total of 9 times as Finance Minister. Now, Finance Minister Sitharaman will match P. Chidambaram's record of presenting the budget, and she will present the budget for the ninth consecutive time.

What is Pranab Mukherjee's record?

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to break the record of former Finance Minister and later President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. While serving as Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee presented the budget a total of 8 times. This time, Nirmala Sitharaman will present the budget for the 9th time, surpassing his record and setting a new one.

What records does Finance Minister Sitharaman hold?

Finance Minister Sitharaman presented her first budget in 2019. After that, she broke Morarji Desai's record of presenting six consecutive budgets by presenting seven consecutive budgets. Now, on February 1, 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is ready to present her ninth consecutive budget.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman created history and started a new tradition by presenting a paperless budget. She presented India's first paperless budget. In 2021, the world was battling the COVID-19 pandemic. India was also part of this fight. Meeting people or visiting homes was not possible. The country was under lockdown for several months due to Corona. People were maintaining social distancing and wearing masks. But a budget is necessary for the direction and development of the country. Amidst all this, on February 1, 2021, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented India's first paperless budget in Parliament. The Digital India initiative proved useful during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this paperless budget was a historic step in avoiding the use of paper. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget in Parliament for the first time using a Made-in-India tablet instead of the traditional paper budget (bahi-khata). Since then, a new tradition has begun, and the Finance Minister now presents a paperless budget.

When will the Budget Session 2026 start?

The Budget Session 2026 is starting on January 28th. It will be held in two phases from January 28 to April 2, 2026. The first phase of the session will be from January 28 to February 13. The second phase will be from March 9 to April 2. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced that the budget will be presented in the Lok Sabha at 11 AM on February 1. The Budget Session will begin with an address by President Droupadi Murmu. She will address both houses of Parliament, the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, jointly on January 28.