Union Budget 2025: From Jawaharlal Nehru To Manmohan Singh, Check List Of Prime Ministers Who Presented Budget

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is gearing up to present the Union Budget on February 1, 2025. This event is crucial for India's financial landscape, as it will outline the government's economic strategy for the rest of Modi 3.0's term. Historically, the Budget has been presented by individuals who either became Prime Ministers or were serving as Prime Ministers at that time.

Jawaharlal Nehru's Role in Budget Presentation

In 1958, Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, took on the responsibility of presenting the Union Budget. This was after T T Krishnamachari resigned as finance minister due to the Mundhra Scandal. Nehru stepped in to manage the finance ministry and delivered the Budget himself.

Morarji Desai's Record-Breaking Tenure

Morarji Desai, who led India as Prime Minister from 1977 to 1979 with the Janata Party, holds a unique record. He presented ten Union Budgets, including eight annual and two interim ones. His tenure as Finance Minister saw him deliver consecutive budgets from 1959 to 1963 and an interim budget in 1962. Additionally, he presented budgets in 1967, 1968, and 1969, along with an interim budget in 1967.

Indira Gandhi's Contribution

Indira Gandhi became India's first female Prime Minister to present a Union Budget. She took over the finance ministry in 1969 after Morarji Desai resigned and presented the Budget for 1970. The following year, she appointed Yashwantrao Chavan as finance minister.
Rajiv Gandhi's Brief Stint

Between January and July of 1987, Rajiv Gandhi briefly managed the finance ministry after dismissing V P Singh from his role as finance minister.

Manmohan Singh's Impactful Budgets

Manmohan Singh served as finance minister under P V Narasimha Rao from 1991 to 1996. His presentation of the 1991 budget marked a turning point for India by promoting liberalisation, privatisation, and globalisation to rejuvenate a stagnant economy. In addition, Singh introduced service tax in his 1994 budget, which became a significant revenue source for the government.

The upcoming Union Budget presentation by Nirmala Sitharaman is highly anticipated. As history shows, past budgets have often been delivered by those who have held or would go on to hold India's highest office. The decisions made during these presentations have had lasting impacts on India's economic trajectory.