Union Budget 2024: Nirmala Sitharaman’s 2nd Shortest Budget Speech at 1 Hour, 25 Minutes

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday delivered her second shortest Union Budget speech yet at 1 hour and 25 minutes, two minutes shorter than the Budget speech last year.

At 56 minutes, the interim budget she delivered on February 1, 2024 before the Lok Sabha elections was Sitharaman’s shortest budget speech. She also holds the distinction of delivering the longest budget speech at 2 hours and 40 minutes in 2020.

In 2019, as India’s first full-time woman Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech had lasted for 2 hours and 17 minutes. In 2021, her speech lasted for one hour and 50 minutes, followed by 92 minutes in 2022 and 87 minutes in 2023.

Here’s a look at Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech durations over the years:

• February 1, 2024 — 56 minutes
• 2023 — 1 hour, 27 minutes
• 2022 — 1 hour, 32 minutes
• 2021 — 1 hour, 50 minutes
• 2020 — 2 hours, 40 minutes
• 2019 — 2 hours, 17 minutes

The Narendra Modi government’s first post-election budget, delivered by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, plans to raise spending to create jobs and provide relief to the middle class.

The government will allocate Rs 2 trillion for job creation over the next five years, Sitharaman said. The Finance Minister announced that the government will launch three employment-linked schemes based on enrolment in the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO).

In the Union Budget of 2024-25, Sitharaman announced that the government will launch a scheme to provide internship opportunities to 1 crore youth in 500 top companies over five years.

In the Union Budget, the Centre also allocated over Rs 3 lakh crore for schemes benefiting women and girls and stated that it is fully committed to the completion and financing of the Polavaram irrigation project.

Stay informed with our comprehensive coverage of Union Budget 2024. Get the latest on new income tax slab rates for AY 2024-25 in Income Tax Slabs Budget 2024 LIVE Updates . Track the impact of Budget 2024 on the stock market in Stock Market Budget Day 2024 LIVE Updates. Watch Union Budget LIVE Streaming here