Dahi-cheeni ritual marks ceremonial start to Budget Day proceedings
February 1, 2026: Just hours before presenting the Union Budget 2026 in Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday, following a long-standing Budget Day tradition. The President welcomed the Finance Minister with dahi-cheeni, an auspicious ritual symbolising good luck and positive beginnings. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary was also present during the meeting, where Sitharaman briefed the President on the broad contours of the Budget for the upcoming financial year.
Arriving at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Sitharaman was seen carrying her signature bahi-khata in digital form—a tablet wrapped in a red cloth bearing the golden national emblem. She was accompanied by senior Finance Ministry officials, including Chief Economic Advisor Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran, CBDT Chairman Ravi Agrawal and other top officials, underlining the importance of final consultations ahead of the Budget’s presentation in Parliament.
The dahi-cheeni ceremony, rooted in Indian tradition, has become an annual feature before the Union Budget and is seen as a gesture of goodwill and blessings for the nation’s financial roadmap. Sitharaman is set to present her ninth consecutive Union Budget at 11 am in the Lok Sabha, equalling former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram’s record. The Budget will outline the government’s fiscal plans for 2026–27, with high expectations around growth, spending priorities and economic stability amid evolving global conditions.