Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be presenting the Union Budget 2024 today in the Lok Sabha. With this Budget, she will surpass former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, who presented five full Budgets and one interim Budget during his tenure.
This will be the third year running when the Budget will be in a paperless form. Sitharaman will be carrying the Budget documents in a tablet sealed within a red cloth.
Here is how the finance minister’s day will look like today:
Sitharaman will first visit the North Block, from where her ministry operates. Here, she will meet the secretaries of the Finance Ministry, and together they will set out for the President’s residence. Once President Droupadi Murmu gives her formal assent, the finance minister can go ahead with the Budget presentation.
A Cabinet meeting is held around 30 minutes before the Budget is presented. Here, the finance minister briefs the other members of the Cabinet on the Budget and takes their approval.
At 11 am today, Sitharaman will begin presenting the Government of India’s Budget for 2024-25.
After presenting the Budget, she will table a statement of the government’s estimated expenditures and receipts for the 2024-25 financial year in the Rajya Sabha. This will be done an hour after the Budget is presented in the Lok Sabha. This statement will be tabled in both English and Hindi.
Sitharaman will also be tabling the government’s macro-economic framework statement and medium-term fiscal policy strategy in accordance to subsection (1) of Section 3 of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003. This will also be presented in English and Hindi.
After this, the finance minister will also table the receipts and expenditures of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the year 2024-25.
Nirmala Sitharaman, along with secretaries of the finance ministry, will hold a press conference after the Budget presentation. Following this, she is scheduled to appear for an interview with a public broadcaster to further discuss the Union Budget.
The Lok Sabha is expected to have separate debates covering ministries of railways, education, health, MSME, and food processing post the Budget presented, news agency PTI reported citing sources.
Union Budget 2024 | Making a record for any Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman will be presenting her 7th Union Budget on July 23, 2024 under the Modi 3.0 government. While inflation has burnt a hole in the pockets of ‘aam janata’, will this Budget spell relief for Indians? Track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analysis only on Deccan Herald. Also follow us on WhatsApp, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
Published 23 July 2024, 03:10 IST