Nirmala Sitharaman tabled Budget 5th time in a row - 10 points

Under Sitharaman, India tided over the Covid-led crisis and the country suffered economic contraction in fiscal 2021. Now, India is the fastest growing major economy amid the global recession risks. Sixth Indian Finance Minister presented the Union Budget for 5th straight time.

New Delhi: Nirmala Sitharaman tabled Union Budget in Lok Sabha for 5th time in a row on Wednesday. Under her, India tided over the Covid-led crisis and the country suffered economic contraction in fiscal 2021. Now, India is the fastest-growing major economy amid the global recession risks. Sitharaman was the 6th FM and 2nd woman FM who presented the Budget.

Here're 10 points about Sitharaman and other Finance Ministers since independence.

1. Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for the 5th straight time as the sixth Indian Finance Minister. Her predecessors were former finance ministers Arun Jaitley, P Chidambaram, Yashwant Sinha, Manmohan Singh and Morarji Desai.
2. She had the distinction of being the second woman finance minister to present the Union Budget after Indira Gandhi, who presented the Budget in 1970-71.
3. In 2019, Sitharaman did away with the traditional budget briefcase and instead went for a 'bahi-khata' with the National Emblem to carry the speech and other documents.
4. Before Sitharaman, Trade Minister Piyush Goyal, who was holding the additional charge of the Ministry due to the then finance minister Arun Jaitley's ill health, presented the interim budget or vote on account for 2019-20.
5. Jaitley, who took charge of the Finance Ministry in the Modi Government in 2014, presented five budgets from 2014-15 to 2018-19.
6. Jaitley's predecessor P Chidambaram in the UPA government too had presented five budgets in a row from 2004-05 to 2008-09.
7. In the BJP-led Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government, Yashwant Sinha as finance minister presented the interim and final budgets for 1998-99. After the general elections in 1999, Sinha presented four budgets from 1999-2000 to 2002-03.
8. During the Narasimha Rao government, Manmohan Singh was given charge of the Finance portfolio and he presented budgets from 1991-92 to 1995-96. Singh's 1991-92 Budget with a host of economic reforms to liberalise the economy, gave a new direction to India. It was under Sinha that the time for presentation of the Budget was changed to 11 am from 5 pm.
9. During Narasimha Rao Government, Manmohan Singh was given charge of the Finance portfolio and he presented budgets from 1991-92 to 1995-96. Singh's 1991-92 Budget with a host of economic reforms to liberalise the economy, gave a new direction to India.
10. Former Prime Minister Morarji Desai presented the highest number of 10 Budgets of which five were in a row from 1959-60 to 1963-64.