Sitharaman Makes History: First Sunday Union Budget Presentation

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her 9th Union Budget, making history by doing so on a Sunday for the first time in independent India.
• Indian stock markets also opened on a Sunday for the first time, a significant departure from previous budget presentations.
• In 1999, then Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha broke tradition by presenting the budget at 11 AM instead of 5 PM, on a Saturday.
• On February 27, 1999, the stock markets closed with gains, with the BSE Sensex rising by 165.77 points and NSE Nifty by 40.1 points, driven by budget announcements.
• Before 1999, the Union Budget was traditionally presented at 5 PM on the last day of February, a practice inherited from the British era.

Why It Matters: Nirmala Sitharaman created history by presenting the Union Budget on a Sunday, a first for independent India.