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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her eighth consecutive Union Budget for the financial year 2025-26 today. This is also the second full budget of Modi 3.0. Ms Sitharaman's budget speech, which came with a big bonanza for taxpayers, lasted for an hour and 17 minutes, shorter than the previous year's speech spanning 1 hour and 25 minutes.
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Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget Speech Over The Years:
2024:
Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman clocked in an hour and 25 minutes.
Interim Budget 2024, Shortest Budget Speech:
Ms Sithraman presented her sixth consecutive budget with the shortest speech so far lasting 56 minutes.
2023:
Ms Sitharaman completed the budget presentation in just 87 minutes.
2022:
Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speech lasted for 92 minutes.
2021, First Paperless Budget:
The 2021 budget speech lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes. It was India's first paperless budget, presented using a tablet. Ms Sitharaman took a digital tablet wrapped in a traditional 'bahi-khata' style pouch.
2020, The Year Of Record:
In 2020, Ms Sitharaman set a record with the longest speech in India's history, lasting two hours and 41 minutes. She paused mid-way and sat down because reportedly her blood pressure fell and she felt unwell. She had to be given sugar and water. She has to cut short her longest budget speech owing to ill health.
2019, First Budget Speech
In 2019, Ms Sitharaman delivered her first Budget speech in the parliament, one of the longest ever, occasionally switching to Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and even Sanskrit. Ms Sitharaman's speech as India's first full-time woman Finance Minister lasted two hours and 17 minutes. The Finance Minister didn't stop even for a water break.