Nirmala Sitharaman Set to Present Record 9th Consecutive Union Budget Today

Sitharaman is set to present her record 9th consecutive budget today at 11 am.

She will present a statement of the estimated receipts and expenditure of the Government of India for the year 2026-27.

The Finance Minister will also lay on the table two statements under Section 3(1) of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003.

These include the Medium-term Fiscal Policy-cum-Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement and the Macro-economic Framework Statement.

The List of Business further states that Sitharaman will move for leave to introduce the Finance Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha. She will also formally introduce the Bill.

The Finance Bill gives legal effect to the financial proposals of the government.

According to a report by Sunidhi Securities & Finance Limited, the Union Budget for FY2026-27 is expected to be pegged at Rs 54.1 lakh crore, registering a year-on-year growth of 7.9 per cent.

The report highlighted that the size of the Union Budget, measured by Total Expenditure (TE) as a percentage of GDP, is the clearest indicator of the government's fiscal intent.

After averaging 14.8 per cent of GDP during FY23-FY25, Total Expenditure was budgeted at 14.2 per cent of GDP, or Rs 50.65 lakh crore, in the Budget Estimates (BE) for FY26.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey of India in Parliament for the financial year 2025-26.

The tabling of the Economic Survey ahead of the Budget follows the long-standing tradition of outlining the state of the economy before detailing future fiscal plans.

The Economic Survey of India is regarded as the nation's official annual "report card" on the economy. It provides a comprehensive, data-backed review of the economy's performance over the previous year and offers a broad roadmap for future policy direction. As the government's flagship annual report, it reviews key economic developments over the past 12 months.

- ANI