Nirmala Sitharaman will present this year's Budget on June 23 (Representational)
The Union Budget has a long history, with various Finance Ministers presenting it over the years. Morarji Desai, Hirubhai M Patel, Pranab Mukherjee, and Rajiv Gandhi were some of the ministers who presented the budget, delivering speeches talking about the country's economic vision and goals.
This year, all eyes are on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who will present her seventh budget on July 23. She has been presenting the budget since 2019, with her speeches focusing on economic growth, financial discipline, and social welfare.
Longest Budget Speech Ever
Nirmala Sitharaman holds the record for the longest Budget speech in the country's history. In 2020, she delivered a marathon speech lasting two hours and forty-two minutes (from 11 am to 1:40 pm). She made major announcements such as a new income tax regime and LIC's IPO. However, she felt unwell and couldn't finish the speech. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stepped in to read the remaining two pages on her behalf.
This broke the record she set the previous year when she spoke for two hours and seventeen minutes. However, in 2022, she opted for a shorter speech, clocking in at an hour and thirty minutes, her shortest Budget speech since becoming Finance Minister in the second term of the Modi government.
Shortest Budget Speech Ever
Former Finance Minister Hirubhai Mulljibhai Patel delivered the shortest Budget speech on record for the interim budget of 1977-78, containing only 800 words.
Former Prime Minister and Finance Minister Manmohan Singh delivered the longest budget speech in 1991, with a total of 18,650 words.
Earlier in February, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered the 2024 interim budget in 57 minutes, which marked the BJP government's final budget before the Lok Sabha elections.