Nirmala Sitharaman and Her Budget Day Sarees: Six Times FM Oozed Elegance in Indian Textile

With 'Bahi Khata', a tablet wrapped in a red-colored cloth with a golden-colored national emblem embossed on it, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Interim Budget 2024 on Thursday.

Hyderabad: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman got all eyes on her as she arrived in the Parliament for her sixth Union Budget presentation donning a blue and cream-colored tussar saree. The body of the saree is blue with cream 'Kantha stitch' work all over. Kantha stitching is originally found in West Bengal, Odisha, and Tripura. She completed her simple look with a small bindi, a gold chain and bangles.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

With a red budget tablet in hand, Sitharaman maintained her usual simple yet elegant posture as she posed for photos at the Ministry of Finance on Thursday morning.

After she took charge as the Finance Minister in 2019, Sitharaman has been actively promoting traditional handlooms and also sending a vocal for local message.

Sitharaman's sartorial choices have made headlines on every budget that she has presented. From sporting silk sarees to donning beautiful handloom sarees, her choice of her traditional attire have become a rather unusual aspect of the budget that people look forward to every year.

Union Budget 2023

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

For her fifth budget presentation, the Union finance Minister donned a vermillion red silk saree with a black and gold temple border detailing, symbolising love, commitment and bravery. The handwoven 'ilkal' saree with Navalagunda embroidery from Karnataka's Dharwad was gifted by minister Pralhad Joshi.

Union Budget 2022

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

For her fourth budget presentation, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman kept her look simple and elegant, sporting a crisp rusty brown Bomkai saree with off-white border detailing that spread throughout the sides. The rusty brown tone of her saree was a combination of two colors, brown and red. While the brown color is often associated with resilience, dependability, security, and safety, red signifies warmth, love and power.

Union Budget 2021

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Keeping her look simple for her third budget presentation, the Union Finance Minister donned a crisp red-colored Pochampally silk saree with off-white detailing and a gold border, symbolizing tradition from Telangana's Silk City. She completed her look with a gold chain, bangles and tiny earrings.

Union Budget 2020

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

For the 2020-21 budget presentation, Sitharaman had opted for a yellow-gold silk saree with a blur border and a matching blouse, signifying prosperity.

Union Budget 2019

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

During her maiden budget presentation in 2019, clad in a warm-pink-coloured Mangalgiri saree with a bold border, the Finance Minister grabbed many eyeballs. She paired her saree with a gold chain, tiny earrings, and a bindi on her forehead. Apart from making a statement with her simple and elegant saree, the Finance Minister also caught the attention by ditching the colonial tradition of bringing ledger papers in a briefcase, she carried the documents in a traditional Bahi Khata.

The Budget Session of the parliament commenced on January 31 with Droupadi Murmu's address. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke at the start of the first Budget session, hinting at his third term. He said that they will present an interim budget and will come back to the Parliament for the Full Budget after the elections.

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