Budget 2024: Sitharaman Meets President Ahead of Speech

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday called on President Droupadi Murmu before presenting the pre-election Budget for 2024-25.

As per established tradition, the finance minister met the President at the Rashtrapati Bhawan before heading to Parliament.

"Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt Nirmala Sitharaman along with Ministers of State Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad and Shri Pankaj Chaudhary and senior officials of the Ministry of Finance called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan before presenting the Union Budget," Rashtrapati Bhawan said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

President Murmu offered 'dahi-chini' (curd-sugar), considered auspicious, to Sitharaman, before she left for Parliament to present the budget.

Murmu extended her best wishes to the finance minister.

The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later approved the budget.

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.

Wearing a blue saree, Sitharaman continued with the tradition she set in 2019, carrying the budget speech in a 'bahi-khata', which she used after ditching the briefcase. She kept a digital tablet in a red 'bahi khata' style pouch.

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