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Union Budget 2026 will be presented tomorrow at 11 am, with markets open on Sunday as FM Sitharaman scripts history with her ninth consecutive Budget
By presenting her ninth budget in a row, Nirmala Sitharaman will almost near the record of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, who holds the record for the most budgets presented
The Union Budget 2026 will be presented tomorrow, and the country is gearing up for the big financial announcement. In only the second such instance in India’s history, the Budget will be tabled on a Sunday.
This presentation on February 1, 2026, marks another milestone for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. She is set to become the first finance minister to present nine consecutive Union Budgets. She will also be only the second finance minister to present a Budget on a Sunday. Before her, Yashwant Sinha presented the Budget on February 28, 1999, which also fell on a Sunday.
Budget speech timing
The Union Budget 2026 will be presented in Parliament’s Central Hall, with the live telecast of the speech beginning sharply at 11 am. The proceedings will be broadcast live on Sansad TV and Doordarshan’s DD National, along with coverage across major news channels and their YouTube platforms.
February 1 tradition since 2017
Since 2017, the BJP-led NDA government has presented the Union Budget on February 1. Parliamentary sittings usually do not take place over weekends unless under special circumstances.
This will not be Sitharaman’s first weekend Budget. She has earlier presented the financial statement on Saturdays — on February 1, 2020, just before the Covid-19 lockdown, and again on February 1, 2025.
Markets to remain open
Because of Budget 2026, stock exchanges NSE and BSE, along with commodity exchanges MCX and NCDEX, will remain open for trading tomorrow, even though markets are typically shut on Sundays.
Trading will follow regular market hours, allowing investors to respond in real time to any key announcements. Expectations include simpler tax rules, GST rationalisation, and a policy push toward AI-led innovation.
What to watch
The pending India–US trade deal will be closely tracked, especially as many Indian goods currently face steep import duties in the US. Progress on the India–EU FTA is also in focus, with potential tariff reductions on European wine and passenger vehicles.
There may also be policy signals around precious metals like gold and silver, which have seen price volatility, and further momentum for the Make in India initiative to boost domestic manufacturing.
However, these remain expectations — the final policy direction will be clear when Sitharaman delivers the Budget speech tomorrow.
Budget 2026: Which sectors are in the spotlight this year?
Budget 2026 will focus on the growth of India to a historic place through allocation to different sectors. The key sectors to look out for this year include railways, infrastructure, urban development, manufacturing, auto, defense, electronics, MSME, renewable energy and AI among others.
Other areas like healthcare, tourism, agriculture, and logistics are also likely to get allocations from the government for their benefit.
Top announcements made in Budget 2025
In last year’s Budget 2025, Sitharaman gave a mega boost to Indian taxpayers by cutting income tax on earnings up to ₹12 lakh, benefitting millions of middle-class taxpayers. For the salaried class, the non-taxable income under the new tax regime increased to ₹12.75 lakh after standard deduction. She also announced the New Income Tax Act, 2025, which will come into effect from 1 April.
January 31, 2026, 19:06 IST
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