New Delhi: For several decades after Independence, India followed the tradition of presenting the Union Budget at 5 pm in Parliament. This practice was a colonial-era legacy, rooted in the need to align Budget announcements with business hours in the United Kingdom. Since India is several hours ahead of Britain, a late-evening presentation ensured that financial details could be communicated to London on the same working day.
However, over time, this convention began to appear increasingly outdated and impractical for India’s own governance needs.
Why the Evening Tradition Was Changed
Presenting the Budget in the evening meant that:
Parliamentary debate and scrutiny were delayed until the next day
Markets and policymakers had limited time to react on Budget Day
Ministries lost valuable time ahead of the new financial year
A morning presentation, on the other hand, allowed immediate discussion in Parliament, quicker market response, and better coordination across government departments. It also symbolised a clear break from colonial practices that no longer had relevance for independent India.
Who Introduced the Morning Budget?
The historic shift from an evening to a morning Budget presentation was made in 1999 by Yashwant Sinha, who was the Finance Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee–led government.
In 1999, Sinha presented the Union Budget at 11 am, becoming the first Finance Minister to do so. This move officially ended the long-standing practice of late-evening Budget speeches and marked a major reform in India’s budgetary process.
A Reform That Became the Norm
Since then, the morning presentation of the Union Budget has become standard practice. All subsequent Budgets—including those leading up to Union Budget 2026—have followed this convention, making the change one of the most enduring procedural reforms in India’s fiscal history.
The shift reflects India’s transition toward efficient, India-centric governance, prioritising domestic administrative convenience over colonial-era customs.
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