As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gears up to present the sixth Budget of her tenure, here’s a quick guide on where and how to catch the live coverage of the Budget for the financial year 2024-2025.
Ms. Sitharaman will set a record by presenting the sixth Budget in a row — five annual Budgets and one interim — a feat achieved so far only by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai. With the presentation of interim Budget on February 1, Ms. Sitharaman will surpass the records of her predecessors such as Manmohan Singh, Arun Jaitley, P. Chidambaram, and Yashwant Sinha, who had presented five budgets in a row. Desai, as Finance Minister, had presented five annual Budgets and one interim Budget between 1959-1964.
The interim Budget 2024-25 to be presented by Ms. Sitharaman on February 1, will be a vote-on-account that will give the Government authority to spend certain sums of money till a new government comes to office after the April-May general elections.
Scheduled for Thursday, February 1, in the Lok Sabha, the presentation will begin at 11 a.m., outlining budgetary allocations and revenue expectations for the financial year 2024-25. The Budget documents will be tabled in Rajya Sabha after the speech gets over in the lower house.
Where to watch the live streaming
To catch the live streaming of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget speech, viewers can tune in to Sansad TV , the television channel that is dedicated for the parliamentary proceedings. India’s official public broadcaster Doordarshan’s news channel DD News., will also telecast the speech. The government will also be running a live telecast on its video portal Webcast.
Sansad TV will also run live streams on its YouTube channel.
As the Finance Minister lays out the budgetary roadmap, The Hindu will host a live blog, providing real-time updates. Watch this space.
Budget Documents
Budget 2024 documents can be accessed in a “paperless form” through the Union Budget Mobile App. All essential Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement, Demand for Grants, and the Finance Bill as mandated by the Constitution, will be accessible post the Budget speech.
The bilingual app, available in English and Hindi, can be downloaded on Android, iOS, or from the Union Budget Web Portal.
