Union Budget 2026: FM delivers third shortest budget speech in seven years
Union Budget 2026 speech lasted 1 hour 24 minutes, making it the third shortest in seven years and far shorter than pre-pandemic Budget marathons
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Union Budget 2026 speech, clocking 1 hour 24 minutes, has emerged as the third shortest Budget address delivered by her since 2019, reinforcing a steady shift away from the lengthy pre-pandemic presentations in Parliament.
Longer but not pre-pandemic duration trend
The 2026 speech remains significantly below the two-hour mark that once defined Budget Day proceedings. While marginally longer than the 2025 speech (1 hour 14 minutes), it is shorter than the 2024 full Budget speech (1 hour 25 minutes) and well below the 2023 address (1 hour 27 minutes).
The data also highlights a sharp contrast with earlier years. Sitharaman’s 2020 Budget speech, delivered just before the COVID-19 pandemic, remains the longest at 2 hours 42 minutes, followed by 2019 at 2 hours 15 minutes. Even during the pandemic years, speeches were longer, with 2021 lasting 1 hour 40 minutes and 2022 extending to 1 hour 32 minutes.
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Notably, the 2024 Interim Budget, presented ahead of the general elections, was the shortest in this period at 57 minutes, reflecting the limited scope customary for interim fiscal statements.
The shorter duration of recent Budget speeches suggests a more focused parliamentary presentation style, with detailed policy explanations increasingly shifting to budget documents and post-speech briefings rather than being part of the presentation.
Highlights of the budget
Presenting the Budget, Sitharaman described Union Budget 2026–27 as a growth-oriented exercise, emphasising measures aimed at strengthening domestic manufacturing, healthcare access, and employment generation.
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The Budget placed particular focus on AYUSH-based healthcare expansion, including steps to widen access to AYUSH pharmacies and strengthen institutional support for traditional medicine systems.