Archive · 2 Feb 2026
Sitharaman Highlights Gender Bias in Budget Day Scrutiny
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman talked about how people often focus on what she wears during Budget Day instead of her work.
She said this happens because of hidden biases about women in important jobs.
She also presented the Union Budget, which is a plan for the country's money for the next year.
The Budget includes more money for building things like roads and schools, but it didn't change taxes for regular people.
Some people liked the Budget because it focuses on long-term growth, while others felt it ignored important issues like villages and jobs.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted gender bias in the scrutiny of her appearance on Budget Day.
She noted that comments about her clothing reflect unspoken prejudices about women in public life.
The Union Budget 2026-27 included a capital expenditure of Rs 12.2 lakh crore and a fiscal deficit of 4.3% of GDP.
The Budget offered no immediate tax relief for individual income taxpayers but introduced a tax holiday for foreign cloud service providers until 2047.
Reactions to the Budget varied, with some praising its focus on long-term growth and others criticizing its lack of attention to villages and jobs.
- Who
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
- What
- Highlighted gender bias in scrutiny over her appearance on Budget Day
- When
- During her ninth consecutive Budget presentation
- Where
- India
- Why
- To address unspoken prejudices about women in public life
- Finance Minister
- Nirmala Sitharaman
- Budget Day Duration
- 124 minutes
- Capital Expenditure
- Rs 12.2 lakh crore (2026-27)
- Fiscal Deficit
- 4.3% of GDP
- Tax Holiday
- Until 2047 for foreign cloud service providers
- Budget Speech Number
- Ninth consecutive
