As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for FY24 on Wednesday, her announcements on the Income Tax structure, capex, and various schemes grabbed the headlines.
However, there were other moments from the Finance Minister's speech that were noteworthy. Here, take a look at them:
1. Sitharaman's Budget speech on Wednesday spanned a total of 87 minutes, making it her shortest Budget speech ever. Sitharaman, incidentally, also holds the record for the longest Budget speech ever: she spoke for 2 hours and 40 minutes while presenting the 2020 Union Budget.
2. As a continuation of the earlier point, Sitharaman's Budget speech this year did not include any poems or verses, something that she had done in earlier speeches.
3. The Budget for FY24, touted as the "first budget in Amrit Kaal", contained the phrase 'Amrit Kaal' eight times.
4. As Adani Group stocks continued to plummet on Wednesday amid the ongoing row over US short seller Hindenburg Research's report on the conglomerate, Opposition leaders in the Parliament interrupted the Finance Minister's speech, loudly chanting "Adani, Adani" while she attempted to present the Budget.
5. No Budget speech is complete without gaffes, and this year's speech too was marked by a rather amusing one. While speaking about vehicle replacements, Sitharaman mistakenly said "old political vehicles" instead of "old polluting vehicles," prompting those present to burst into laughter. Even Sitharaman herself was spotted sporting a wry smile before she quickly moved on with her speech as chuckles echoed through the Parliament.