What Are the Big Expectations from Budget 2026 Ahead of Parliament Session?

New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for 2026–27 in Parliament on February 1, 2026, at 11 am, marking one of the most closely watched events on India’s economic calendar. The presentation will be held on a Sunday, a rare occurrence in recent years.

The Budget Session of Parliament will begin on January 28 and continue until April 2. The session will be held in two parts, with the first phase running till February 13, followed by a recess. Parliament will reconvene on March 9 for the second phase of the session.

Ahead of the Budget, the government will table the Economic Survey 2025–26 on January 29, offering an overview of the country’s economic performance over the past year and outlining key challenges and growth priorities.

This will be Sitharaman’s ninth consecutive Union Budget, making her the finance minister with the highest number of Budget presentations. It will also be the third full Budget of the Narendra Modi-led NDA 3.0 government. With this, she will surpass several former finance ministers, including Manmohan Singh, Arun Jaitley, P. Chidambaram, Yashwant Sinha and Morarji Desai.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Budget Session was convened after receiving approval from President Droupadi Murmu, following the recommendation of the Union government.

The Union Budget lays out the government’s revenue and expenditure plans for the next financial year, beginning April 1, 2026. It reflects policy priorities across key sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, agriculture and social welfare, and is closely tracked by businesses, economists and investors for signals on the economy’s direction.

As part of the preparatory process, Sitharaman recently chaired the 13th pre-Budget consultation with stakeholders from sectors including education, health, human development and women empowerment.

Even as preparations for Budget 2026–27 are underway, several agriculture-related announcements made in the 2025–26 Budget are yet to be implemented. In last year’s speech, the finance minister had described agriculture as the “first engine” of the economy, announcing a range of initiatives for the sector.

In line with tradition, the finance ministry will hold the Halwa ceremony about 10 days before the Budget is presented. The ceremony marks the start of the lock-in period, during which Budget documents are finalised and strict confidentiality is maintained at North Block.

Also Read: Budget 2026: Nirmala Sitharaman to Table Union Budget on Sunday, February 1