Budget 2024: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered her second shortest Union Budget speech on Tuesday which lasted just 1 hour 25 minutes. This marks a slight reduction from last year’s speech which ran for 1 hour and 27 minutes. Interestingly, Sitharaman also holds the record for delivering the longest Budget speech which stretched over 2 hours and 40 minutes in 2020.
In recent years, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speeches have varied in length. In 2023, her speech was 1 hour and 25 minutes long. The previous year, in 2022 it lasted 1 hour and 30 minutes. In 2021, her speech went on for 1 hour and 50 minutes. Back in 2019, it was the longest at 2 hours and 17 minutes.
Here is a breakdown of the durations of Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget speeches over the years:
- In 2019, the speech lasted 2 hours and 17 minutes.
- In 2020, it extended to 2 hours and 40 minutes.
- By 2021, it shortened to 1 hour and 50 minutes.
- In 2022, it was 1 hour and 32 minutes long.
- In 2023, it lasted 1 hour and 27 minutes.
- On February 1, 2024, the speech was 56 minutes long.
- On July 23, 2024, it lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Sitharaman announced Over Rs 3 lakh crore allocated for schemes benefiting women and girls, focusing on increasing workforce participation, establishing hostels, and creating women-specific skilling programs.
She also introduced a PM Package comprising five schemes aimed at boosting employment and skilling, with a substantial allocation of Rs 2 lakh crore, including Rs 1.48 lakh crore for education, employment, and skilling initiatives.
