Budget to be Presented on a Sunday for the First Time; President Gives Approval

New Delhi: This year, the country’s Budget 2026 will be presented on February 1st, a Sunday. The Parliament’s Budget Session will begin on January 28th and continue until April 2nd. The President has given her approval. The President’s address will be delivered on January 28th. The Economic Survey will be presented on January 29th. Despite being a Sunday, the budget will be presented on February 1st. The first phase of the budget session will conclude on February 13th. The second phase will begin on March 9th and run until April 2nd.

Citing the tentative schedule decided by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, officials said on Friday that President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of both Houses on January 28th. The President’s traditional address takes place on the first day of the first session of the year. Due to the Beating Retreat ceremony, there will be no sittings of either House on January 29th.

No Lok Sabha-Rajya Sabha Sitting on January 31st
Parliament will meet on January 30th, the day the Economic Survey is likely to be presented. Following this, there will be no sittings of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on January 31st. The Union Budget will be presented on February 1st. After discussions on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address and the Union Budget, Parliament will adjourn on February 13th for a break of approximately one month.

Parliament to Resume Sitting on March 9th
Parliament will resume its sitting on March 9th and the session will conclude on April 2nd, a Thursday. Officials said that usually, the Parliament session adjourns on a Friday. However, keeping in mind Good Friday on April 3rd and the subsequent weekend, the session may conclude on April 2nd.

How Special Will This Budget Be?
This budget is going to be different in many ways. First of all, breaking with tradition, the budget will be presented on February 1st, a Sunday. ​​Even more noteworthy is the fact that for the first time, there is no Finance Secretary in the Finance Ministry, yet preparations for the budget are in full swing.

The Finance Secretary is usually the senior-most officer in the Ministry of Finance. His major responsibilities include coordinating between different departments of the ministry, overseeing major budget-related decisions, and guiding the entire process. In simple terms, the Finance Secretary is considered the conductor of the budget machinery.