New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu offered dahi-cheeni (curd and sugar) to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at Rashtrapati Bhavan before the presentation of the Union Budget 2026 on February 1 2026. It is important to note that this traditional gesture symbolizing good luck and auspiciousness for important tasks was performed before Sitharaman presented her eighth consecutive budget. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her ninth Budget in the Parliament today (February 1 2026). This is the first time in the history of India that the Union Budget is being presented on a Sunday. #WATCH | Delhi | Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with her team calls on President Droupadi Murmu before presenting her ninth consecutive Union Budget pic.twitter.com/96H5JV5obv — ANI (@ANI) February 1 2026 Centres fiscal deficit touches 54.5% of full year target at end-December: Government data Government data released on Friday (January 30 2026) showed that the Modi government’s fiscal deficit at the end of December stood at Rs 8.55 lakh crore or 54.5% of the annual budget target for 2025-26 compared to 56.7% in the year-ago period. The Centre estimates the fiscal deficit (the gap between expenditure and revenue) during 2025-26 at 4.4% of GDP or ₹15.69 lakh crore. According to data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) the Central Government received ₹25.25 lakh crore or 72.2% of the corresponding budget estimates (BE) of 2025-26 of total receipts up to December 2025.
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