Nirmala Sitharaman presented Budget 2024 less than an hour ago. In her speech, she spoke about initiatives by the government, empowerment of women and youth, and tourism, among other things. After the conclusion of her speech, many took to X to share their reactions to the union budget. A few of them specifically posted about the ‘short speech’ by the finance minister.
Why is an interim Budget being presented in 2024?
As 2024 is an election year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented an interim budget outlining the estimated costs and expenses of the government. A full-fledged budget for the financial year 2024–25 will be presented after the formation of the new government following the general elections.
How to read the Budget 2024 document?
One can access a ‘paperless form’ of the interim Budget 2024 through the Union Budget Mobile App. This app is supported by various mobile platforms and is available in two languages: English and Hindi.
Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget speech duration over the years:
Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget for the first time in 2019, and it lasted for 140 minutes. Next year, in 2020, her speech time increased as she took 160 minutes to present the union budget.
As for 2021 and 2022, she took 100 minutes and 91 minutes, respectively. Her fifth budget in 2023 was, till now, her shortest speech with 87 minutes, which was taken over by her latest speech in Budget 2024.