Union Budget 2026 Live: Markets and taxpayers watch closely as Sitharaman presents Budget shortly

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present her ninth Union Budget in Parliament today, 1 February 2026, marking a historic first as India’s Budget is being delivered on a Sunday.

Expectations are high that Budget 2026 will outline measures to sustain economic growth, reinforce fiscal discipline, and advance reforms aimed at insulating the economy from global trade headwinds, including tariffs imposed by the United States.

As the nation tunes in to Sitharaman’s speech, public attention also turns to a familiar Budget-day tradition—the saree she dons while presenting the country’s financial roadmap.

This year, the Finance Minister is wearing a magenta kattam Kanjeevaram silk saree paired with a plain yellow blouse.

The Budget comes against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical uncertainty and a global economy unsettled by renewed protectionism, even as Asia’s third-largest economy presses ahead with its ambitious Viksit Bharat vision.

In this context, Budget 2026 assumes added significance, with a sharp focus on how the government plans, earns, and allocates every rupee. The decisions taken today could play a pivotal role in steering India toward its goal of emerging as the world’s largest economy by 2030.