Union Budget 2025: President Droupadi Murmu offers ‘dahi-cheeni’ to Nirmala Sitharaman — WATCH

Union Budget 2025: President Droupadi Murmu offered 'dahi-cheeni' (curd and sugar) to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ahead of her eighth Union Budget presentation on Saturday, February 1. This customary gesture of good luck was made during Sitharaman's visit to President Murmu at Rashtrapti Bhavan.

Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary was also present on the occasion. Nirmala Sitharaman was seen discussing the contours of the Budget proposals with the President.

Subsequently, Nirmala Sitharaman arrived at Parliament, where she left for the Cabinet meeting. At this meeting, the Budget was ratified before its presentation in Parliament.

Union Budget 2025

Nirmala Sitharaman will present her record eighth consecutive Budget on Saturday at 11 am in Lok Sabha. The Budget speech will outline the government's fiscal policies, revenue and expenditure proposals, taxation reforms, and other significant announcements.

Meanwhile, the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament on Friday, projected India's economy to grow between 6.3 per cent and 6.8 per cent in the financial year 2025-26.

The survey, tabled a day before the Union Budget, highlights the country's strong economic fundamentals, which are supported by a stable external account, fiscal consolidation, and private consumption.

The Economic Survey noted that the government plans to strengthen long-term industrial growth by focusing on research and development (R&D), micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and capital goods. These measures aim to enhance productivity, innovation, and global competitiveness.

“The fundamentals of the domestic economy remain robust, with a strong external account, calibrated fiscal consolidation and stable private consumption. On balance of these considerations, we expect that the growth in FY26 would be between 6.3 and 6.8 per cent,” the Economic Survey noted.

The survey noted that food inflation is expected to ease in Q4 FY25 due to the seasonal decline in vegetable prices and the arrival of the Kharif harvest. A good Rabi production is also expected to help keep food prices in check in the first half of FY26. However, adverse weather conditions and rising international agricultural prices pose risks to inflation.