Union Budget 2023-24 is just a few weeks away. Like 2021, even this time, the Budget will be presented by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2023. While the preparations are in full swing, it is fascinating to note that officials who are involved in preparing the Budget documents, usually stay in one place and remain completely cut off from their families for almost 10 days. Since the run-up-to the Union Budget has started, here are some unique facts to know about past Budgets.
Budget 2023-24 – Unique Facts About Previous Budget Announcements
- Former Finance Minister Morarji Desai has presented the Budget 10 times which is considered to be the highest number of Union Budget presentations by a finance minister in India. This number is followed by P. Chidambaram's 9 Budget presentations.
- Until 1999, the Union Budget was presented at 5 pm on the last working day of February. However, later, things changed.
- In 1999, the former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha changed the “5 pm Budget announcement tradition” to 11 am.
- Kshitish Chandra Neogy is the only Finance Minister of India who has not presented a single Union Budget.
- Talking about changing traditions, the former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley changed the tradition of Budget presentation on the last working day of February. So, in 2017, the Union Budget was presented on February 1 and since then, the same is being followed.
- Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was the first woman ever to have presented the Union Budget. She did that in 1970 after Morarji Desai left the office.
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is only the second woman ever to present the Union Budget. She is also the first person ever to present the Budget via electronic medium.
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