Budget Day Revolution: India Ditches British Era Traditions for Efficiency

• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present Budget 2026 on February 1st, a date changed from the traditional February 28th.
• The budget was historically presented on February 28th, a British-era practice, which left little time for implementation by April 1st.
• In 2017, then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved the budget presentation to February 1st, allowing states and ministries more preparation time.
• The presentation time also shifted from 5 PM (British influence) to 11 AM in 1999 under Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha for better public discussion.
• The 92-year-old Railway Budget was merged with the General Budget in 2017 to simplify the process and provide a comprehensive financial overview.

Why It Matters: India's budget presentation evolved from British traditions to modern practices for timely implementation and efficiency.