Tue Jan 21 23:25:14 IST 2025: ## Sitharaman to Deliver Eighth Budget; History of Longest and Shortest Speeches Recalled

**New Delhi** – Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her eighth Union Budget on February 1st, outlining the government’s economic priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. This year’s budget comes amidst much anticipation, particularly given Sitharaman’s history of delivering lengthy budget addresses.

Sitharaman holds the record for the longest Budget speech in Indian history, clocking in at 2 hours and 42 minutes in 2020. That speech, which included the announcement of significant reforms like a new income tax regime and the LIC IPO, was ultimately completed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after Sitharaman fell ill. While her 2019 speech also exceeded two hours, her most recent interim Budget (2024) was significantly shorter, lasting only 56 minutes.

In contrast, the shortest Budget speech on record belongs to former Finance Minister Hirubhai M Patel, whose 1977-78 interim Budget contained a mere 800 words. The longest speech by word count, however, remains Manmohan Singh’s 18,650-word address in 1991, narrowly edging out Arun Jaitley’s 18,604-word presentation in 2018. This year’s budget speech is highly anticipated, and speculation abounds regarding its length and the economic policies it will unveil.

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