New Delhi: This year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman wrapped up her Budget speech this time in about 92 minutes — her shortest one so far. Last year she had spoken for an hour and 50 minutes. Her speech in 2020 had made headlines for being the longest one in India’s history at about 2 hours and 40 minutes.

With two pages remaining, she had to cut it short and sit down by the end of it as she felt unwell. In 2019 – her first budget speech, Sitharaman had spoken for 2 hours and 17 minutes, breaking former Finance Minister Jaswant Singh’s 2003 record of 2 hours and 15 minutes.

This year, she was seen sipping on what appeared to be electrolytes during the speech. Known for embellishing her speech with Hindu, Urdu and Tamil couplets, this year she had just one quote from the Mahabharata. Usually, the duration of the budget presentation ranges from 90 to 120 minutes.