Union Budget 2025: Sitharaman delivered big relief in a speech that lasted for 74 minutes

Union Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman delivered big relief for the middle class as she presented her eighth consecutive Union Budget. One interesting fact from the Saturday address was that Sitharaman tabled the first full budget for Modi 3.0 in just 74 minutes, the shortest full-budget speech she has delivered to date.

The finance minister presented the 2025-26 Union budget while wearing a Madubani art saree created by Padma Awardee Dulari Devi. Sitharaman is known for delivering long and stretched budget speeches. Her shortest budget speech during her run as the country’s finance minister was when she delivered the Interim budget on February 1, 2024. That speech lasted for only 57 minutes.

However, the finance minister holds the record for the longest and second-longest speeches in the country’s history. Over the years, Sitharaman created history in other ways as well. She was the first finance minister to present the budget on a tablet, highlighting technological advancements in the country. Here’s a look at her past records:

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Sitharaman speech durations over the years

• 2019 budget  - 2 hours 15 minutes

In the year 2019, Sitharaman tabled her first budget in the parliament as the country’s prime minister. In her address, she outlined a 10-point vision for India’s economic growth over the next decade. The speech lasted for 2 hours and 15 minutes, marking the second-longest speech she has delivered.

• 2020 Budget - 2 hours 42 minutes (Longest budget speech)

Sitharaman created history in 2020 when she delivered the longest speech in Indian history. The speech spanned for 2 hours 42 minutes and was known for its unprecedented length and detailed policy announcements.

• 2021 Budget - 1 hour 40 minutes

In 2021, Sitharaman presented India’s first-ever “paperless budget,” marking a significant speech towards digital governance. Her speech lasted for 1 hour 40 minutes and she read it out on a tablet, which replaced the old Bahi Khata.

• 2022 Budget - 1 hour 30 minutes 

Sitharaman’s 2022 speech was only 1 hour and 30 minutes long and comprised nearly 9,200 words. During her address, she pushed for digital development and indicated that the government will focus on digital assets and infra spending.

• 2023 Budget - 1 hours 30 minutes 

The 2023 speech lasted for 1 hour and 30 minutes and reflected on the government’s fiscal roadmap.

• 2024 - 1 hour 25 minutes

In the fiscal year 2024-25, Sitharaman delivered a budget speech which spanned 1 hour and 25 minutes. She broke the records set by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, in regards to delivering full speeches. She eventually delivered the shortest speech, which lasted 57 minutes, when she presented the Interim Budget on February 1, 2024.

What about the word count?

While Sitharaman created history by delivering the longest and the second-longest budget speeches in the country’s history, when it comes to the word count, she is not the record-setter. Here’s a long at the longest record-breaking budget speeches by word count.

• Manmohan Singh 1991 Budget

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singha, who is also known as the architect of India’s economic reforms, delivered the longest budget speech by word count in 1991. Singh created history because his speech comprised a whopping 18,700 words. The 1991 budget is still considered an important budget since it saved India from a grave economic crisis.

• Arun Jaitley 2014 Budget 

Jaitley’s budget speech comprised 18,604 words marking it as one of the lengthiest in the country’s history.

• What about the shortest-budget speech 

Former Finance Minister Hirubai M. Patel still holds the record for delivering the shortest budget speech. His interim budget of 1977 comprised only 800 words.