Sitharaman Makes History: First Sunday Union Budget Presentation
Budget
M
Moneycontrol•01-02-2026, 12:18
Sitharaman Makes History: First Sunday Union Budget Presentation
- •Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her 9th Union Budget, making history by doing so on a Sunday for the first time in independent India.
- •Indian stock markets also opened on a Sunday for the first time, a significant departure from previous budget presentations.
- •In 1999, then Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha broke tradition by presenting the budget at 11 AM instead of 5 PM, on a Saturday.
- •On February 27, 1999, the stock markets closed with gains, with the BSE Sensex rising by 165.77 points and NSE Nifty by 40.1 points, driven by budget announcements.
- •Before 1999, the Union Budget was traditionally presented at 5 PM on the last day of February, a practice inherited from the British era.
Why It Matters: Nirmala Sitharaman created history by presenting the Union Budget on a Sunday, a first for independent India.
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