Budget 2025 LIVE: Nirmala Sitharaman reaches Parliament for 8th straight budget speech; middle class hopes for relief

Businessman and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi's husband Robert Vadra said, “We have very little expectations from the government. I would like Nirmala Sitharaman to be among the people, listen to people and the biggest issue has been inflation for a long time and people are in so much trouble, there is unemployment...”

"Kumbh is going on but the fares of trains, flights have also increased. The Union Budget should be in the interest of the people. I think it is not about BJP or Congress or any other party, everyone should be united and the budget should be in the interest of the country and the people," Robert Vadra told news agency ANI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address outside Parliament is being seen as a “hint” at new initiatives for the poor and middle class as well as women as he laid out his government's vision.

PM Modi began his customary pre-session remarks to the media by invoking Lakshmi, the goddess associated with wealth and prosperity, and said he prayed for special blessings for the poor and middle class.

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman reaches Parliament after meeting President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Nirmala Sitharaman will present Union Budget in Lok Sabha shortly.

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: Nirmala Sitharaman, India's first full-time woman finance minister had broken away from the colonial tradition of carrying a budget briefcase and opted for traditional ‘bahi khata’ in her first budget presentation in July 2019. However, Nirmala Sitharaman will be presenting the Union Budget 2025 in paperless from, through a tablet, as was done last year.

Nirmala Sitharaman was seen carrying the tablet containing the Budget 2025 document in a red pouch earlier today.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget for the fiscal year 2025 (FY2025-26) marks the 14th consecutive Union Budget 2025 under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government since 2014, including two interim Budgets presented ahead of the general elections in 2019 and 2024.

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: Copies of Union Budget 2025 were brought to Parliament ahead of the presentation of the budget by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman today in Lok Sabha.

Sensex was in green at around 9:30 am, trading at 77,622.28 up by 121.71 points ahead of Union Budget 2025.

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and MoS Finance Pankaj Chaudhary met President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan ahead of presentation of Union Budget 2025.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present at Lok Sabha from 11 am today.

1. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 2025-26 in Parliament today.
2. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to start her budget speech at 11 am in Parliament.
3. While this is the first budget of PM Modi-led governments third term, this is the eighth consecutive budget presentation of Nirmala Sitharaman, who will become the only finance minister to register this feat.
4. The Union Budget 2025 has been surrounded by speculation of tax reliefs, which grew after President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to middle class multiple times in their addresses on Friday in Parliament, signalling a relief.
5. The Budget Session 2025 will be in two phases - first from Jan 31 till Feb 13 and the second one from March 10 to April 4.

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: For Budget 2025 presentation, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is wearing a saree as a tribute to Madhubani Art and the skill of Padma awardee Dulari Devi.

Dulari Devi is a 2021 Padma Shri awardee. When finance minister visited Mithila Art Institute in Bihar's Madhubani for a credit outreach activity, she met Dulari Devi and had a cordial exchange of thoughts on Madhubani art in Bihar. Dulari Devi had presented the saree and asked Nirmala Sitharaman to wear it for the budget day.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said they “have no expectations from the budget”.

"They have been presenting it for 10-11 years and have done nothing substantial. We just need to see how many dimensions they brought to give relaxation to their friends, big capitalists... They may try to lure people through some promises as elections are there in Delhi...," Dikshit told news agency ANI.

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: Stock market indices Sensex and Nifty opened little changed in a special session for the union budget on Saturday, with investors hoping for consumption-boosting measures amid an economic slowdown due to high inflation and anemic wage growth.

The Nifty 50 was up 0.13% at 23,541.3 points, as of 9:15 a.m. IST, while the BSE Sensex added 0.18% to 77,637.01. The debt and forex markets will remain closed.

(via Reuters)

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shows the tablet containing Budget documents before leaving for the Parliament from Finance Ministry.

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu's reference to middle class in Parliament on Friday raised the expectation that there will be several announcements for the middle class in the Union Budget 2025.

PM Modi, delivering his customary address ahead of the commencement of Budget Session 2025, invoked goddess of wealth for elevating poor and middle class.

“I pray to Goddess Lakshmi that the poor and the middle-class sections in the country are blessed by her,” PM Modi said on Friday outside Parliament before the start of the Budget session.

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said the government is committed to fulfilling the dream of middle-class people to own residential properties and is providing interest subsidies on home loans.

President Murmu was addressing a joint sitting of Parliament.

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: The Budget presentation date was changed in 2017 from February 29 to February 1. The change allowed the government to complete the Parliamentary approval process by March-end and allow implementation of the Budget from the start of the fiscal on April 1.

Presenting the Budget on February 29 meant that the implementation could not start before May/June after accounting for 2-3 months of the parliamentary approval process.

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has reached the Ministry of Finance. She is expected to start presenting the Union Budget 2025 in Parliament from 11 am today.

This year's Budget would be in paperless form, as done in the last three years.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had in her first Budget in 2019 replaced the leather briefcase -- which had been in use for decades for carrying Budget documents -- with a traditional 'bahi khata' wrapped in red cloth.

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman leaves from her residence in Delhi. She will present the Union Budget 2025 in Parliament today.

In 1977, the budget speech of the then finance minister Hirubhai Mulljibhai was of just 800 words, the shortest ever.

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: Surrounded by media queries on Union Budget 2025, MoS Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said today, "Everything will be before you by 12 pm...Have some patience. You will get to know everything..."

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: MoS Finance Pankaj Chaudhary has reached the Ministry of Finance ahead of the presentation of Budget 2025 by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will start the presentation of the Union Budget 2025 at 11 am today in Parliament.

Budget 2025 LIVE: Chief Economic Advisor Dr V Anantha Nageswaran has reached the Ministry of Finance ahead of presentation of Union Budget 2025 by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament today.

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: Hopes of cut or tweak in income tax rates or slabs to ease the burden of middle class are running high ahead of the presentation of Union Budget by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who will be creating record for eighth consecutive budget presentation.

The Budget for the fiscal year starting April 1 is expected to contain measures to shore up weakening economic growth while being fiscally prudent. It is likely to focus on steps to boost consumption while sticking to the roadmap of narrowing the fiscal deficit.

Expectations of relief on income tax, particularly for lower middle class, is high after Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked goddess of wealth for elevating poor and middle class.

"I pray to Goddess Lakshmi that the poor and the middle-class sections in the country are blessed by her," PM Modi said on Friday while speaking to reporters outside Parliament before the start of the Budget session.

(via PTI)

Union Budget 2025 LIVE: Indian stock market is expected to open little changed in a special session for the Union Budget today, with investors watching for consumption-boosting measures amid an economic slowdown due to high inflation and anemic wage growth.

The GIFT Nifty futures closed at 23,505 on Friday, indicating the blue-chip NSE Nifty 50 is likely to open near Friday's close of 23,508.4. The debt and forex markets will remain closed.

(via Reuters)