The Union Budget is a vital document that outlines the government’s economic blueprint and development strategy for the upcoming financial year. Over the decades, Budget speeches have transformed to mirror the nation’s evolving priorities. As February 1 approaches, all attention is on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who will unveil her eighth Budget, continuing her tenure that began in 2019. India’s Initial Budget Presentation The first budget in India was introduced on April 7, 1860, by James Wilson, a Scottish economist and politician representing the East India Company, to the British Crown.

The first budget of independent India was delivered on November 26, 1947, by RK Shanmukham Chetty, who was the country’s Finance Minister at the time. Achieve Success: Expert-Led Courses for Tax and Finance Pros, Click Here The Longest Budget Speech in History In 2020, Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s Finance Minister, set a benchmark by delivering the longest Budget address in Indian parliamentary history. Lasting 2 hours and 42 minutes, her address introduced key initiatives, including the revamped personal income tax structure and the highly anticipated announcement of Life Insurance Corporation’s public offering. Although she was unable to conclude her address due to health concerns, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stepped in to read the final portion.

This speech eclipsed her previous record from 2019 when her presentation lasted 2 hours and 17 minutes. Her shortest presentation so far was the interim Budget speech in 2024, which lasted only 56 minutes. Briefest Budget Speech on Record The shortest Budget address was presented by Hirubhai M. Patel, then Finance Minister of India, in 1977-78. This interim Budget speech was concise, comprising merely 800 words. Achieve Success: Expert-Led Courses for Tax and Finance Pros, Click Here Wordiest Budget Presentation The Budget speech of 1991, delivered by Dr. Manmohan Singh, then Finance Minister, is notable for being the lengthiest in terms of word count. Spanning 18,650 words, it remains unmatched. The next in line is Arun Jaitley’s 2018 address, which included 18,604 words during his tenure as Finance Minister. Leak of Budget Papers In 1950, despite stringent security measures, the Union Budget documents were leaked to the public before the official presentation. Following this breach, the government decided to halt printing the budget speech at Rashtrapati Bhavan and moved the printing to the government press on Minto Road.

This arrangement lasted until 1980, when the printing was shifted to North Block, within the Finance Ministry’s premises. Before the 1955-56 fiscal year, the budget was only available in English. From that point onward, it began being published in Hindi as well. In 1970, Indira Gandhi made history as the first woman to serve as the Finance Minister of India and to present the national budget. Conclusion These records reflect the diversity in presentation styles and the focus of various Finance Ministers over time. As the next Budget unfolds, it will be interesting to see how it compares with these historic milestones