New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has surpassed the record of former finance ministers including Manmohan Singh, Arun Jaitley, P Chidambaram, and Yashwant Sinha, all of whom presented five budgets in a row, as she presents her 6th budget in a row. 

Earlier today, union cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the pre-election budget 2024-25. As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents her 6th budget in a row, she equals the record of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai. 

Morarji Desai, as finance minister, had presented five annual budgets and one interim budget between 1959 and 1964. 

Nirmala Sitharaman presents Budget 2024 

The interim budget 2024-25, being presented by Niramala Sitharaman, will be a vote-on-account that will give the government authority to spend certain sums of money till a new government comes to office after the April-May general elections. 

"Based on stupendous work, we expect our government will be blessed again by the people with a resounding mandate," said Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament. 

President Murmu offers 'dahi-chini' to Sitharaman 

Before presenting the interim budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday called on President Droupadi Murmu. Sitharaman met Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan where the President offered her dahi-chini (curd and sugar), considered auspicious in the Indian tradition. 

Tough task for Sitharaman 

Expectations are running high as Sitharaman presents her sixth budget in the Lok Sabha. She has her task cut out to maintain the world's fastest-growing economy tag for India while staying fiscally prudent and meeting general public expectations of lowering taxes in an election year.

The economy is projected to expand by 7.3 per cent in the current fiscal year, as per official estimate.