Delhi, 30 January (H.S.): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will create a record of presenting the 8th consecutive budget on February 1. Sitharaman's budget is expected to include measures to support the weakening economic growth and reduce the burden on the middle class struggling with high prices and stagnant wage growth. It will also be fiscally prudent.

With this, Finance Minister Sitharaman will come close to the record of 10 budgets presented by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai in different time periods. Morarji Desai presented a total of six general budgets as Finance Minister during 1959 to 1964 and four budgets between 1967 and 1969.

Apart from her, former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee presented the budget 9 and eight times respectively during the tenure of different Prime Ministers. However, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will retain the record of presenting the Union Budget for eight consecutive times during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Nirmala Sitharaman was appointed India's first full-time woman Finance Minister in 2019, when Prime Minister Modi won the election for the second time decisively. Sitharaman retained her finance ministry portfolio after PM Modi came to power for the third time in 2024. So far, she has presented a total of seven direct budgets, including the interim budget of February 2024.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar