Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered her shortest Union Budget speech in the Parliament today. Dressed in a white and pink sari, the FM’s speech lasted 1 hour 25 minutes. Although the Interim Budget 2024 speech that Sitharaman delivered in February this year was just 56 minutes long, the one delivered today was her shortest Union Budget speech.
Duration of all Budget speeches by Nirmala Sitharaman:
2019 Union Budget speech: 2 hours 15 minutes
2020 Union Budget speech: 2 hours and 42 minutes.
2021 Union Budget speech: First paperless budget in 1 hour and 40 minutes.
2022 Union Budget speech: 1 hour 30 minutes
2023 Interim Budget speech: 1 hour 27 minutes
2024 Union Budget Speech: 1 hour 25 minutes
Sitharaman made some major announcements during her budget speech including the abolishment of the ‘Angel Tax’. She also announced Modi 3.0 government’s plans to create employment opportunities for approximately 41 million youth over the next five years.
To support this initiative, an allocation of Rs 2 lakh crore has been earmarked. Additionally, she proposed an investment of Rs 1.48 crore to skill citizens and generate job opportunities, aiming to train 2 million youth within the same five-year timeframe.