As the Union Budget 2025 approaches, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition and Congress member, speculated on the appearance of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during Budget day. “The finance minister will arrive with a briefcase. There will be a photo opportunity. You won’t find a single representation of Dalits, tribals, backward classes, or minorities in that picture,” Rahul Gandhi remarked on Friday.
“Out of 90 officials who will draft the budget tomorrow, only 3 belong to the OBC category. Your community represents 50 percent of the population and if we assume that 100 rupees are allocated in the budget, decisions from your officials will result in just 5 rupees being designated,” he further explained.
On Budget day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman captures attention for multiple reasons. Her sarees often attract as much notice as her economic strategies.
On Friday, President Droupadi Murmu addressed a joint session of Parliament, marking the commencement of the Budget 2025 session.
Economic Survey 2024-25
The document was presented in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, on Friday, January 31.
India’s GDP growth forecast for FY26 lies between 6.3-6.8 percent amidst global uncertainties. The survey predicts inflation will remain controlled while consumption is expected to stay stable. Additionally, rural demand is projected to see improvement moving forward.
According to the report, the agricultural sector continues to perform strongly, consistently exceeding trend levels. The industrial sector has also regained its strength above pre-pandemic levels. In recent years, the robust growth rate has returned the services sector to its trend levels, as stated in the survey.
The survey highlighted that retail headline inflation dropped from 5.4 percent in FY24 to 4.9 percent during April to December 2024, attributed to various government initiatives and monetary policy actions.
Union Budget 2025
The finance minister is scheduled to present the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha at 11 am on February 1. The budget speech will detail the government’s fiscal strategies, proposals for revenue and expenditure, tax reforms, and other important announcements.
