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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman started celebrating the Union budget with a designer saree in the year 2019-20 budget session in 2019, wearing a Lachhan-ghagra Madhubani art saree in the 2025 budget on February 1, 2023.
The sarees that Nirmala Sitharaman wore during the Budget Day are symbolic of India’s cultural traditions, economic agenda, and the encouragement of the domestic fabric industry.
Nirmala Sitharaman’s sarees on Budget Day are representing the vibrant culture of India, economic policies, and future agenda along with supporting the local textile weavers.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary and other officials outside the Finance Ministry ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget 2025-26 (PTI)
Every year, the Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s choice of dress on the budget day is one of the most discussed issues and her sarees embody tradition, elegance, and references. She has maintained that she wears sarees and retains the trend, which is synonymous with Indian tradition and culture and promotes the Indian weaves as well.
This is something that was brilliantly portrayed by FM Nirmala Sitharaman on Budget Day 2025 as she wore a saree accompanied by Madhubani art work. The saree-This is a piece of art work which depicts the artistically carved out traditional and cultural Madhubani painting hailing from the Mithila district of Bihar.
It is even more important as the saree carries connection with Padma Shri awardee Dukari Devi from Madhubani who is well-known artist. The noted recipient of Padma Shri award in 2021 conversed with the FM while participating in the outreach credit facility in Mithila Art Institute, Madhubani. Concisely, during the event, Devi offered Sitharaman will the saree. She is depicted standing demurely with a tablet with cover housed within a Bahi Khata styled pouch.
Subsequently, the weaves and the designs of her Budget Day sarees have varied from simple to those difficult, yet the selection is done cautiously so as to reflect some thought. The splendid Kanjivaram Silk sarees, the rawness of the Benarasi saree her attires represent the rich textiles heritage of India.
Be it the handloom art forms or the luxurious silks, she has become virtually an inseparable part of Union Budgeting with strings attached that symbolise the success as well as the pain to achieve the dreams of a resurgent India.
These sarees are in fact chosen cleverly and most of the time, they have a message in them such as the bright color which depicts hope, growth, or the choice of handloom empowers the weavers.
Below articles are showcasing the sarees she wore in each providing Budget Day:
Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman’s sarees on Budget day were depicting Indian culture, India’s vision for economy & dressed up in Indian handwoven sarees.
Modified collection of file photographs capturing Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with the Union Budget in the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 (Interim Budget), 2025, and Union Budget 2025-26 (Source: PTI)
2024 Interim Budget- A Bold Blue Silk Saree
In the context of the Union Budget presented for the year 2024, Nirmala Sitharaman decided to wear a royal blue silk saree. Blue is one of the manifestations of the profound essence that signifies wisdom, stability and confidence which was quite apt for a year of change in the economic sector. Amalgamating a simple aunthentic approach, the saree had a border and finesse adornment of Zari work.
Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget Day sarees are embodiments of Indian culture as well as India’s economic prospect and local individualism.
2024 Interim Budget- A Bold Blue Silk Saree (ETV Bharat)
Blue also stands for depth and therefore reliability, which, in the context of the symbolizing figure, expresses the government’s reliability in terms of money and economy.
Sitharaman’s choice of fabric like saree on Budget Day is important or signifies something related to the Indian Economy and was not different where she wore a bold blue saree. The combination of silk and modern works of art made people understand that India is ready to rise further from the position of modern globalization but it still has cultural background.
2024 - Sitharaman Donns Elegant Off-White Saree
During Union Budget 2024 Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman came out in a simple yet elegant royal off while silk saree. The border of the saree was purple in color and it was embossed with a golden touch overall, which made her look all the more royal.
Though the samples of identifiably Indian fabric applied for wearing during the Budget Day speech, these sarees embody the Indian culture, economic policies, and the dedication to empower the home grown industries.
2024 - Sitharaman Donns Elegant Off-White Saree (AP)
Off-white colour is synonymous with simplicity and clarity and it is also associated with new beginnings. Streamers of purple in deep shade that forms the border was symbolic; regal, the color of the powerful and the wise. This is not less true for the golden detailing that have property connotations and were appropriate for the eventful day.
2023 - Banarasi Silk Saree With Temple Border
In the budget presentation of 2023, Nirmala Sitharaman embarked on the representation of Indian traditions by wearing vermillion red Banarasi silk saree. This beautiful saree having temple border black and gold colour portrayed love stably, resilience and strength. Popularly known for its beautiful textiles, Banarasi Silk is in fact one of the finest examples of textile arts of India. The colourful saree was not just a piece of fashion wear but it helped in paying homage to the fabric artists of India. Also, Minister Prahlad Josi gifted the handwoven Ilkal saree with Navalagunda embroidery done from Karnataka’s Dharwad touched the regional ethnic taste of clothing.
From the collection of sarees that Nirmala Sitharaman wore on the Budget Day, Indian culture, economic prospect, and the policies to patronize native talent come to bear out.
2023 - Banarasi Silk Saree With Temple Border (ETV Bharat)
2022 - A Rusty Brown Bomkai Saree
Keeping it soothing and professional for the 2022 Union Budget Address, Nirmala Sitharaman wore a rusty brown Bomkai saree that had off white borders spreading till the sides. Its rust-brown color was derived from the mixture of two colors that are brown and red. Brown color has such connotations as stability, reliability, security, safety, etc While the red color has such connotations as warmth, love, power, etc.
The sarees that Nirmala Sitharaman wore on the day of Budget have a very deep meaning as far as India’s cultural values, financial planning, and the intention of boosting the domestic weaving industries, are concerned.
2022 - A Rusty Brown Bomkai Saree (ETV Bharat)
2021- Pochampally Silk Saree From Telangana
Hence, for her third successive budget session, she was dressed in a simple red-coloured Pochampally silk saree having off white print line with gold border line representing tradition from silk city of Telangana. Its important to note that she completed her look her with a gold chain, bangles as well as tiny earrings.
Sitharaman’s(Border) Day sarees mean India’s fabric, developmental scheme & commitment to preserve Indian traditions for the world to see.
2021- Pochampally Silk Saree From Telangana (ETV Bharat)
2020 - Yellow-Gold Silk Saree
For the 2020-21 budget presentation, Sitharaman has worn a bright yellow-gold silk saree with blue border which is quite bold and stylish. Yellow, which can be viewed as a symbol of brightness, vitality, and positivity, was an appropriate color for the year that promoted the increase of economic activity. Blue border on the other hand enhanced the intensity of a saree color and the blouse bore similar color that denoted depth, wisdom & stability, all which are relevant in any economic decisions making processes.
While announcing her Budget Day sarees, Nirmala Sitharaman was an embodiment of tradition and Indianess that boosts immense pride towards the country’s culture, economic goal, and strife towards embracing weavers and handlooms.
2020 - Yellow-Gold Silk Saree (ETV Bharat)
The golden embroidery was symbolic and added to the grace of the saree, and therefore SITHARAMAN for the second time demonstrated her loyalty towards the Indian textiles along with making a gesture towards India economy.
Meghan Markle became the first anniversary of Oprah’s interview highlighting the major factors that led to the couple’s departure from the Royal family after the 2019 budget speech delivered by Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, India became the first country to have a woman finance minister in the Modi government. In her first ever Union Budget, in which she was dressed up in a Mangalgiri saree of warm pink colour with a frontline border, Chandrababu stood out in the House. She was wearing an off-white coloured saree, which was complimented with a gold chain, tiny earrings and bindi in the middle of her forehead. Apart from her simple and elegant white saree, the minister also chose to make a diplomatic statement at arriving with the documents in a briefcase in ‘Bahi khata’ instead of the traditional European approach in using ledger papers in brief case .
