New Delhi, Dec 20: If parliamentary convention is followed, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to present the Union Budget for 2026–27 on a Sunday, as February 1 next year falls on that day, officials said.
Since 2017, the general budget has been presented on February 1 to allow its implementation from the start of the new financial year on April 1. An official noted that while the date is fixed, presenting the budget on a Sunday is not unusual. “The concept of Sunday was brought by the British,” the official said.
Before 2017, the budget was presented on the last working day of February. Parliament would then pass a vote on account to meet government expenses for the first quarter of the new fiscal year, while the remaining budget was approved later after scrutiny by parliamentary standing committees.
The practice changed in 2017 under then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who advanced the budget presentation to February 1 and ensured its passage by the end of March, ahead of the new financial year.
Parliament has convened on Sundays on special occasions in the past, including during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and on May 13, 2012, to mark the 60th anniversary of Parliament’s first sitting.
When asked about the possibility of a Sunday budget, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the decision would be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs at the appropriate time.
