Budget 2023: FM Sitharaman & team meets Prez ahead of Budget presentation

Prior to delivering the Union Budget 2023–24 on Wednesday, as per an established tradition, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhawan before heading to Parliament.

"Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, MoS Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, MoS Shri Pankaj Chaudhary and senior officials of the Ministry of Finance called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan before presenting the Union Budget 2023-24," Rashtrapati Bhawan tweeted.

The Union Cabinet met thereafter to clear the Budget.


Ahead of the actual presentation, the budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 (April 2023 to March 2024) will be approved by the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Budget is typically sent to the Parliament complex before the Finance Minister shows up, however this year no paper has been printed in accordance with COVID-19 practise. Instead, the budget copies will be distributed electronically, with materials posted to the official website and made accessible through a dedicated app.

Expectations are at an all-time high as Sitharaman presents her fifth budget in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. She faces a challenge in maintaining India's economy as the fastest growing in the world while remaining fiscally responsible and meeting popular expectations for lower taxes and a larger social safety net.

Dressed in a red saree with black and golden border, Sitharaman continued with the tradition she set in 2019, carrying the budget speech in a 'bahi-khata', which she used after ditching the briefcase. She kept a digital tablet in a red bahi khata style pouch.

On the first day of the budget session of Parliament, Sitharaman on Tuesday tabled the pre-budget Economic Survey for 2022-23, which projected an 6-6.8 per cent growth for the economy in the coming financial year.

The economy is projected to expand by 7 per cent in the current fiscal year.