Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to script a major parliamentary milestone on Sunday when she presents the Union Budget for the ninth consecutive time, making her the longest-serving finance minister to hold the post continuously.
Sitharaman assumed charge of the Finance Ministry on May 31, 2019, and has remained at the helm for six years and eight months, steering the Indian economy through the Covid-19 pandemic, global supply chain disruptions and prolonged geopolitical uncertainty. During her tenure, India has emerged as the fastest-growing major economy despite global headwinds.
The Union Budget to be presented on February 1 will mark a record ninth straight Budget speech by Sitharaman, a feat unmatched in India’s parliamentary history. While former prime minister Morarji Desai presented the Union Budget on 10 occasions overall, and P Chidambaram delivered nine Budgets, neither did so in consecutive years.
Ahead of the Budget session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sitharaman presenting the Union Budget for the ninth consecutive time “will be recorded as a matter of pride in India’s parliamentary history”.
Also read: Budget to include proposals of 16th Finance Commission
Among her predecessors, C D Deshmukh remains the second-longest serving finance minister in a continuous stint, having held the post from June 1, 1950, for about six years and two months. Manmohan Singh served as finance minister for nearly five years between June 1990 and June 1996 and later held the additional charge briefly as prime minister in 2008 and again in 2012.
P Chidambaram served as finance minister for about eight years across four non-consecutive stints, while other leaders who headed the finance portfolio for extended periods include Morarji Desai, Pranab Mukherjee, Arun Jaitley, Y B Chavan and Yashwant Sinha, all across non-continuous terms.
Sitharaman’s tenure has been marked by major policy interventions, including pandemic relief packages, structural reforms, and sustained public capital expenditure aimed at boosting growth and employment. Her upcoming Budget is expected to focus on fiscal consolidation, growth support and global economic uncertainties.
R K Shanmukham Chetty was the first finance minister of independent India.
Follow us
