President Droupadi Murmu offered dahi-cheeni (curd and sugar) to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman before she presented the Union Budget 2026 in the Lok Sabha on Sunday.
The Finance Minister, dressed in a magenta silk saree, carried her tablet in a red pouch with the national emblem as she arrived at Rashtrapati Bhavan with her team.
Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, Chief Economic Advisor Dr V Anantha Nageswaran, CBDT Chairman Ravi Agrawal, and other senior officials accompanied her during the courtesy meeting. The President blessed Sitharaman with the traditional ritual, symbolising prosperity and success, before the nation’s financial roadmap was unveiled.
The dahi-cheeni ritual has become a cultural tradition before every Union Budget presentation. In Indian belief, curd and sugar signify good fortune and the smooth completion of important tasks. This symbolic gesture reflects positivity and continuity in governance.
Sitharaman is presenting her ninth consecutive Union Budget, equalling the record of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram. With this milestone, she moves closer to the historic achievement of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, who holds the record for presenting ten budgets in independent India.
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