Overview
- President Droupadi Murmu will open the Budget Session with a joint address on January 28, and the Economic Survey will be tabled on January 29.
- Nirmala Sitharaman will present her ninth consecutive Union Budget, moving closer to Morarji Desai’s record of ten.
- Presenting the Budget on a Sunday is uncommon but not unprecedented, with the last instance recorded in 1999.
- Preparations are in progress following pre-Budget consultations and provisional BE/RE work, with the First Advance Estimates pegging FY26 real GDP growth at 7.4%.
- Officials signal a reform tilt in Budget 2026 focused on deregulation, decriminalisation of business norms, simpler approvals, and risk-based oversight.