Union Budget 2026: Sitharaman Presents 9th Consecutive Budget

Budget Day is here. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived at Kartavya Bhawan ahead of presenting the Union Budget 2026–27, her record ninth consecutive Budget, at 11 am.

This will be Sitharaman’s ninth consecutive Budget, a record-setting run that places her among India’s longest-serving finance ministers in the role.

Alongside Minister of State Pankaj Chaudhary, Sitharaman will lay before Parliament the government’s detailed financial roadmap for the year ahead, outlining estimated receipts and expenditure for FY2026–27.

As part of the Budget process, she will also table two key documents mandated under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003. First, the medium-term fiscal policy-cum-fiscal policy strategy statement. And the macro-economic framework statement.

She is also scheduled to seek leave to introduce the Finance Bill, 2026, which gives legal backing to the government’s tax and expenditure proposals.

According to estimates by Sunidhi Securities & Finance Limited, the Union Budget for FY2026–27 is expected to be pegged at ₹54.1 lakh crore, reflecting a 7.9% year-on-year increase. Total government expenditure is projected at around 14.2% of GDP, down from an average of 14.8% over the past three years, signalling a continued focus on fiscal consolidation.

The Budget follows the tabling of the Economic Survey 2025–26 in Parliament earlier this week. Often described as the government’s economic report card, the Survey laid out the state of the economy and set the context for the fiscal choices that will now be unveiled.

With markets, industry, and households watching closely, all eyes now turn to the Lok Sabha as the Finance Minister prepares to open her red Budget briefcase.

(With inputs from ANI)