Budget Leaked Before Feb 1? Pictures Of Scanned Copy Shared Online | What's The Truth?

New Delhi: Has a copy of the Union Budget for financial year 2026-2027 been leaked on social media before the official presentation in the Parliament on February 1? Pictures claiming to be from Budget 2026-27 are widely being shared on Telegram. What's the truth behind these pictures? Has the Budget actually been leaked?

Social media accounts posted pictures purportedly showing the front page of the upcoming Budget, with captions like "Check this" and "A SCANNED COPY OF UNION BUDGET LEAKS ONLINE ON TELEGRAM". Thereafter, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) issued a clarification on its official X account. It labelled the images as fake and tweeted, “Some images are being shared on social media claiming that a scanned copy of the Union Budget 2026–27 has been leaked on Telegram.”

The government agency stated that the pictures were from last year's Budget and was digitally edited to change the year to 2026-27.

In a post on X, PIB said, “These images are FAKE…The images being circulated is NOT from the Union Budget 2026–27. It is from the Union Budget 2025–26, and the front page has been digitally edited to change the year.” It also flagged another picture saying that it is completely fake and was created digitally and does not belong to any Union Budget document.

Warning people against believing unverified claims shares on social media, the agency said, “Do not believe or forward unverified images or claims related to the Union Budget. Such misinformation can mislead the public and spread unnecessary panic.”

The Union Budget for financial year 2026-2027 will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 at 11 am. Sitharaman is set to present the Budget for the record-breaking 9th consecutive time.

Also Read- Why Is The Union Budget Presented On February 1 At 11 AM Every Year?