Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Union Budget for the financial year 2025-26 today, marking a significant milestone in India’s economic history.
Sitharaman becomes the first finance minister to deliver the budget for eight consecutive years, a feat that underscores her tenure’s stability and the evolving fiscal landscape of the country.
Read more: Budget 2025 Updates: FM Nirmala Sitharaman meets President at Rashtrapati Bhavan ahead of Budget
But did you know that the Union Budget, often regarded as the most sensitive document in the country, has been leaked not once, but twice in the past?
According to reports, the first leak occurred in 1947, shortly after India gained independence. Sir R.K. Shanmukham Chetty, the first Finance Minister of independent India, was poised to present the Budget on November 26 of that year. However, before he could deliver his speech at 5 p.m., details of the Budget were allegedly leaked.
The leak is said to have occurred as officials and politicians, eager to ensure their British counterparts could follow the proceedings comfortably, inadvertently shared the information ahead of time.
The second leak took place in 1950, when the budget papers were printed at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India. The details of the Budget were once again exposed before the official announcement, highlighting the sensitivity surrounding this pivotal document.