Union Budget 2025 To Be Presented By Nirmala Sitharaman On February 1? Check Timings And Other Details

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to present the Union Budget 2025 on February 1, considering the usual convention of Budget presentation on the first day of February for the last several years. Although the official confirmation on the Budget presentation date has not come, it is most likely that the government will maintain the convention of presenting it on February 1.

The convention of presenting the Union Budget on February 1 was started by then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley  in 2017. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, led by FM Jaitley decided to ditch the old tradition of presenting the budget on the last working day of February. The government also merged the tradition of presenting a separate Railway Budget, which had been a thing for a good 92 years. 

Union Budget 2025 Timings

As per the usual timing of tabling the Budget, FM Sitharaman is expected to stick to 11 am as the time of presenting her speech.

In the old days, the budget used to be revealed at 5 pm on the last working day of February. However, during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government era, then Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha in 1999 presented the Union Budget at 11 am instead. And ever since, the Budget tabling timings have remained as 11 am.

Union Budget 2025: Stock exchanges to remain open on February 1

Despite it being a Saturday, the Indian stock exchanges will be open for trade on Budget Day 2025. NSE and BSE shared in two different notifications. Markets will remain open for equity from 9 am to 3:30 pm and for commodities it's 5 pm.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has so far held a series of meetings with various stakeholders, including MSMEs, farmers' associations, and economists.