In a historic move, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026 from Kartavya Bhavan 1, marking a significant shift from the traditional venue of North Block. This is the first time the budget presentation has taken place at Kartavya Bhavan, a newly constructed office complex intended to house various ministries of the Government of India.
Kartavya Bhavan, also known as the Common Central Secretariat (CCS), is a complex of ten newly-constructed office buildings in New Delhi. It was developed under the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, with the aim of replacing older structures like Shastri Bhawan, Nirman Bhawan, and Krishi Bhawan, with a modern, centralized administrative complex. Kartavya Bhavan was inaugurated on August 6, 2025. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the building was named 'Kartavya Bhavan' after deep contemplation, pointing out that both Kartavya Path and Kartavya Bhavan echo the core spirit of India's democracy and its Constitution.
Traditionally, the Ministry of Finance, including the offices of the Finance Minister and key officials, has been located in North Block, a historic building that also houses the Ministry of Home Affairs. For decades, North Block served as the backdrop for the pre-budget ceremonies and the departure point for the Finance Minister on budget day. The shift to Kartavya Bhavan 1 signifies a modernization and consolidation of government offices.
Nirmala Sitharaman, accompanied by MoS Pankaj Chaudhary, departed from her residence for Kartavya Bhavan ahead of the budget presentation. Sitharaman is set to present her ninth consecutive Union Budget, equalling the record of former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and surpassing that of Pranab Mukherjee. Former Prime Minister Morarji Desai continues to hold the record for presenting the most Union Budgets in independent India.
The Union Budget 2026 is expected to unveil measures to sustain growth momentum, maintain fiscal discipline, and contain reforms that could buffer the economy from global trade frictions, including U.S. tariffs. The Economic Survey 2025-26, which was tabled in Parliament on Thursday, January 29, 2026, projects a growth rate range of 6.8-7.2% for 2026-27.
In another first, this is the first time in the history of India that the Union Budget is being presented on a Sunday. The shift to presenting the budget on February 1st, which was implemented in 2017, aimed to give ministries and state governments more time to plan and implement expenditure before the new financial year begins on April 1st. In 1999, when February 28 fell on a Sunday, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha presented the Union Budget a day earlier on February 27 (Saturday).
As in previous years, Sitharaman carried a 'bahi-khata'—a tablet wrapped in a red cloth embossed with the golden national emblem. Since 2019, the "bahi khata" has replaced the traditional leather briefcase for carrying Budget documents. Since 2021, the bahi khata has been used to carry a digital tablet, marking the shift towards a paperless Budget.
