FM Nirmala Sitharaman to Present Record Ninth Union Budget 2026 Today

New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Union Budget 2026 in the Central Hall of Parliament at 11 am on Sunday, marking a significant milestone as she delivers her ninth consecutive Budget — the highest by any finance minister so far.

This will be only the second occasion when the Union Budget is presented on a Sunday, the previous instance being in 1999 under then Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha.

Ahead of the Budget presentation, Sitharaman collected the traditional Budget tablet from the Finance Ministry and called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, following established protocol.

As per reports, the Budget is expected to be closely scrutinised for cues on India’s ongoing trade talks with the United States, which remain inconclusive. Several Indian exports to the US currently face steep import duties, in some cases touching 50 per cent, making any indication of progress a key area of interest for industry and exporters alike.

Attention will also be on the recently finalised free trade agreement with the European Union. The pact involves India agreeing to reduce tariffs on select European goods, while securing near-zero duties on almost 90 per cent of Indian exports to the 27 EU member countries.

Market watchers are also anticipating policy clarity for the precious metals sector, particularly gold and silver, which have witnessed sharp volatility in recent months.

Measures reinforcing the government’s ‘Make in India’ push to boost domestic manufacturing are expected to feature prominently as well.

With Assembly elections due later this year in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry, state-specific allocations and development packages for these regions are also likely to draw attention once the Budget details are unveiled.

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