Yashwant Sinha: Jharkhand's Son Who Presented 8 Budgets, Faced Fire for Sixth

• Former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, hailing from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, presented the Union Budget a total of eight times.
• His first budget in 1990-91 was historic, addressing a severe economic crisis with tough decisions on import-export policy and fiscal discipline.
• Under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Sinha presented seven consecutive budgets from 1998-99 to 2003-04, focusing on infrastructure, fiscal deficit control, and tax reforms.
• The 2001-02 budget was his most criticized, drawing public and opposition ire for tax structure changes, petroleum price hikes, and exemption abolishment.
• Sinha also made history in 1999 by changing the budget presentation time from 5 PM to 11 AM, ending a British-era tradition.

Why It Matters: Yashwant Sinha, a key figure from Jharkhand, presented 8 Union Budgets, with his 2001-02 budget drawing significant criticism.