Budget 2022: Dilip Ghosh says Mamata prepares Budget ‘walking on treadmill’

PM Gati Shakti plan one of the four pillars of growth, says FM in her Budget speech. 25,000 km of national highways to be built in 2022-23, Sitharaman says.

Two parallel tracks for the next 25 years: public investments in infrastructure and a budget that is inclusive and futuristic

India's growth estimated to be at 9.2%, highest among all large economies; we are now in a strong position to withstand challenges, says FM

At the onset, Finance minister Nirmala Sitharam expressed empathy to all those who have suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic. “We are in the midst of the Omicron wave, the speed of our vaccination campaign has helped greatly. I am confident that ‘Sabka Prayaas’, we' will continue with strong growth,” FM says. This Budget will benefit, youth, women, farmers, SC and ST.

Lok Sabha session begins. 

The Cabinet meeting ahead of the Budget presentation has concluded. The Cabinet had approved Budget 2022. 

Opening on a higher note, Sensex is now approaching 59,000 ahead of the Budget

Covid spending

Fiscal deficit

Privatisation

Capital expenditure

Tax revenue

Borrowing

Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday wore a rusty brown saree with an off-white border. According to an ANi report, The rusty brown tone of her saree was a combination of two colours, brown and red, that hold a deeper significance. While the colour brown is often associated with resilience, dependability, security, and safety, red signifies warmth, love and power.

On February 1, the rate of non-subsidised (14.2 kg) Indane domestic cylinders in Delhi will be available at ₹899.50. At the same time, the people of Kolkata will get a domestic LPG cylinder of 14.2 kg for ₹926. In Mumbai, the price of a non-subsidised LPG cylinder will be the same as Delhi, while in Chennai it will cost ₹915.50.  Read

The previous budgets presented by Sitharaman have had distinct backdrops. While in 2019 (months after the Bharatiya Janata Party won a thumping electoral mandate), she offered a slew of reforms, the next one in the midst of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic shrank the scope of possibilities.

The third one too was presented in the shadow of the pandemic. 

From the finance ministry office, Nirmala Sitharaman reached the Rashtrapati Bhavan to meet President Ram Nath Kovind ahead of the presentation of the Budget in Parliament. 

Sensex soars 582.85 points, currently at 58,597.02. Nifty up by 156.20 points, currently at 17,496.05

As finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman posed with the ministry officials in front of the office of the finance ministry on Tuesday ahead of the Budget 2022 presentation in Parliament, she held the tab in her hand. The tab, like last year, was wrapped in a red cover which looks like bahi khata. Bahi Khata has been replaced as Budget has gone paperless.

People can watch the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1 at 11am live on Lok Sabha TV. People can also tune in to the event on various news outlets and social media platforms like YouTube and Twitter.

The session starts at 11am with the finance minister presenting the Budget in the Lok Sabha. An hour after the conclusion of the presentation of the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, the Finance Minister will table the Budget in the Rajya Sabha, a statement (in English and Hindi) of the estimated receipts and expenditure of the Government for the year 2022-23.

The Minister will also the table, a copy each (in English and Hindi) of Medium-term Fiscal Policy cum Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement and Macro-Economic Framework Statement under section 3 (1) of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003.