The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 2025 tomorrow i.e. on February 1, 2025, at 11 am.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Union Budget 2025-26, marking her eighth budget presentation since assuming office in 2019. This budget will also be the second full-fledged budget of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, which secured a third consecutive term in the 2024 general elections.
Sitharaman’s Budget Legacy
Since becoming India’s first full-time woman Finance Minister in 2019, Sitharaman has played a crucial role in shaping the country’s economic policies through a series of landmark budgets. Her tenure has seen major reforms in taxation, infrastructure spending, and social welfare programs.
She has so far presented:
- Six Annual Budgets (2019-2024) – Each focusing on economic growth, fiscal consolidation, and structural reforms.
- Two Interim Budgets (2024 and 2019) – Presented before general elections to ensure continuity of government spending until a new administration took charge.
Key Milestones in Sitharaman’s Budgets
- Union Budget 2019-20: Her maiden budget introduced the corporate tax rate cut, simplification of GST, and incentives for startups.
- Union Budget 2020-21: Focused on economic revival post-pandemic, announcing the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package.
- Union Budget 2021-22: Emphasized healthcare, infrastructure, and disinvestment.
- Union Budget 2022-23: Introduced digital rupee, 5G spectrum auctions, and tax reforms.
- Union Budget 2023-24: Prioritized capex growth, fiscal discipline, and green energy investments.
- Union Budget 2024-25 (Interim Budget): Presented ahead of the general elections, ensuring essential funding and announcing populist measures.
What to Expect in Budget 2025
With the Modi government securing another term, Sitharaman’s upcoming budget is expected to focus on long-term economic growth, infrastructure expansion, tax rationalization, and fiscal deficit management.
The budget may also continue the push for “Viksit Bharat 2047” (Developed India by 2047), aligning policies with the government’s long-term vision.
This budget will serve as a key policy document that sets the tone for India’s economic trajectory in the coming years.