The Union government presents the budget annually, a practice that dates back to the days of the British Raj. In fact, even after independence, the timing of the budget presentation remained the same as during British rule - in the evening on the last day of February.
Initially, the 5 p.m. timing on the last day of February was set so that budget announcements could be made simultaneously in both Britain and India before nightfall. This practice continued until 1998.