Today, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the Interim Budget for the fiscal year 2024-25. This Budget presentation marked a significant departure, as Sitharaman delivered her shortest-ever Budget speech, lasting 59 minutes and 15 seconds. A notable contrast was observed when comparing this concise presentation to her previous Budget speeches. In her maiden Budget speech for the year 2019-2020, Sitharaman spoke for an extensive 2 hours and 17 minutes.
During the 2020 Union Budget, her presentation, spanning from 11 am to 1:40 pm on February 1, lasted two hours and 42 minutes. Health concerns forced her to curtail her speech with only two pages remaining, and the remainder of the Budget was read by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. In 2022, Sitharaman spoke for a total duration of one and a half hours.