President Murmu feeds customary ‘dahi-cheeni’ to FM Sitharaman

New Delhi: Ahead of presenting the Union Budget in Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met President Droupadi Murmu in the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Saturday.

The President fed her ‘dahi-cheeni’, a ritual performed by elders in Indian families to bestow good luck before undertaking important tasks.

This year’s Budget is the eight consecutive Budget for Finance Minister Sitharaman and the Modi government’s 14th straight Budget.

Earlier in the day, FM Sitharaman and her team posed for a traditional picture outside the Finance Ministry. She wore an off-white coloured handloom silk saree with fish-themed embroidery and a golden border – a tribute to Madhubani Art. She wore a red blouse with the saree and displayed the red ‘bahi-khata’ tablet with the national emblem.

In 2019, FM Sitharaman broke the long-standing tradition of a Budget briefcase with a ‘bahi khata,’ a red-coloured Indian accounting ledger. In 2021, the Finance Minister presented the Budget in a paperless format, using a ‘Made in India’ tablet.

Nirmala Sitharaman, who surpassed the record of former Prime Minister and Finance Minister Morarji Desai last year, is set to present the Union Budget for 2025-26 in Parliament on Saturday.

Finance Minister Sitharaman will deliver the Budget speech in the Lok Sabha from 11 a.m. on Saturday.

The Budget Session of Parliament which commenced on Friday, will be conducted in two phases – the first started on January 31 and will conclude on February 13, while the second phase will begin on March 10 and end on April 4.

This year’s Union Budget is expected to maintain the government’s focus on promoting economic growth while ensuring equity.

The government is expected to prioritise improving the quality of life in rural areas to ensure equitable and inclusive development.

According to the Economic Survey 2024-25, financial inclusion is a key focus, with rural households and small businesses getting easier access to credit through microfinance institutions, self-help groups and other intermediaries.

–IANS