Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today arrived at Parliament to present the Union Budget 2025, which adorned a saree consisting of Madhubani art. The saree was designed by Padma Shri awardee Dulari Devi.
Dulari Devi was awarded Padma Shri in 2021. Dulari Devi met the Finance Minister when she came to Madhubani for credit outreach program at Mithila Art Institute. There, they exchanged their thoughts on the state’s heritage, Bihar, in Madhubani art.
Carrying the traditional bahi khata in hand, FM Sitharaman left North Block for Rashtrapati Bhavan. Dulari Devi had gifted the saree to the minister and had requested her to wear it on Budget day.
The budget presentation assumes great attention, and even the attire of the finance minister becomes a matter of interest. Sarees of FM Sitharaman, over the years, have captured people’s attention, especially on budget days.
For her historic seventh Budget presentation in 2023, she chose a white silk saree with a magenta border featuring golden motifs. In the interim Budget earlier this year, she wore a blue handloom saree, carrying a *bahi khata* wrapped in red fabric.
Her first Budget presentation in 2019 featured a bright pink Mangalgiri saree with gold borders. In that year, she substituted the traditional briefcase with the *bahi khata*, and wrapped the Budget documents in red silk fabric embroidered with the national emblem.
In 2020, she wore a yellow-gold silk saree with a blue border and matching blouse. Yellow, often associated with prosperity, is a colour representing national economic aspirations.
She wore a red and off-white Pochampally silk saree with ikat patterns, and a border in green for the Budget 2021 presentation. Pochampally ikat, which is woven at Bhoodan Pochampally in the Telangana region, has been able to win India for this region the moniker of ‘Silk City’.
For Budget 2022, she was seen wearing a Bomkai saree from Odisha. The rusty brown shade is the result of a concoction of shades of brown and red.
Last year, she had picked a red temple saree with black borders very finely done with golden embroidery.
With this Budget, FM Sitharaman will script history. This will be her seventh Budget consecutively presented. In this way, she would better the record of late Morarji Desai who presented successive Budgets six times in succession.
