Kamal Ghorui
As finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares to present the Union Budget for FY 2026-27 on February 1, the exercise also draws attention to how India’s most important economic document has evolved – from a colonial-era English text to a more accessible public instrument.
Colonial origins of the Budget
India’s first Union Budget was presented on April 7, 1860, by James Wilson, the finance member of the Indian Council and founder of The Economist. Drafted entirely in English, the Budget reflected the priorities of the British administration and was aimed at a limited, English-speaking audience.
Post-Independence transition
After Independence, the budgetary process began to take a more indigenous shape. The first Union Budget of independent India was tabled on November 26, 1947, by finance minister RK Shanmukham Chetty, marking a shift from colonial fiscal practices to national economic planning.
1955: When Hindi entered the Budget
A major milestone came in 1955 under then finance minister CD Deshmukh, when the Union Budget was printed in both English and Hindi for the first time, according to ICAI. The move reflected a growing recognition that key policy documents needed to reach a broader cross-section of citizens and not remain confined to a narrow administrative elite.During his tenure, Deshmukh played a key role in strengthening India’s financial institutions. He helped establish the Reserve Bank of India as a strong monetary authority and was closely associated with the formulation of India’s first Five-Year Plans, which laid the foundation for industrial growth and infrastructure development.
From print to paperless
The Budget’s evolution has continued in recent years. Nirmala Sitharaman, who has presented the Budget since 2019, introduced India’s first paperless Budget in 2021, delivering it on a digital tablet carried in a traditional bahi-khata style pouch.She is set to present her ninth consecutive Budget on February 1, the second most number by any finance minister, just behind former PM Morarji Desai. From its colonial beginnings to linguistic inclusion and digital presentation, the Union Budget’s journey mirrors broader changes in governance and public communication in India.
