There has always been a question about why India presented the budget at 5 pm until 1999 and later changed the timing to 11 am. According to reports, the practice of presenting the budget at 5 pm originated during British colonial rule. The timing was decided based on British Summer Time (BST) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Indian Standard Time (IST) is 4.5 hours ahead of British Summer Time (BST) and 5.5 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Presenting the budget at 5 pm IST ensured it took place during the daytime in the UK, either at 12:30 pm BST or 11:30 am GMT, for the convenience of the British.
The Change Of Timing From 5 Pm To 11 Am:
India began presenting the Union Budget at 11 am in 1999, under Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government. Sinha, who served as the country’s finance minister from 1998 to 2002, introduced this new timing.
The change eliminated the need to align with the UK’s time zone and was intended to provide more time for parliamentary discussions and budget analysis. Sinha presented the first Union Budget at 11 am on February 27, 1999, and the practice has continued ever since.
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