Finance ministers and budgets

Finance minister P Chidambaram will present Interim Budget on February 17 in Parliament. The Budget will be the 9th such exercise for him. The minister is not expected to make any major announcements in the Interim Budget as the nation goes to polls this year.  Hence, the Budget will be the last for the present UPA government.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram is scheduled to present the Budget for 2013-14 on February 28, amid a challenging time for the Indian economy. As the finance minister, Chidambaram holds the privilege of presenting all five budgets (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008) on behalf of a government - a rare honour he shares with Dr Manmohan Singh. Chidambaram also presented the budget in 1996 and 1997.

Morarji Desai holds the record of presenting the most Budgets - Ten; eight full and two interim.

The Indian Union Budget 2012-13 was presented in the Lok Sabha by former finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on March 16, 2012 - his seventh budget presentation.

Pranab Mukherjee presented his sixth Budget on 28 February, 2011. While his move to raise the tax exemption limit to Rs 1.8 lakh from Rs 1.6 lakh and cutting down the age limit for senior citizen category brought some cheer, more service tax on air-conditioned restaurants attracted the ire of industry and public alike.

As a finance minister, Jaswant Singh presented the budget in 2003. He also presented the interim budget in 2004.

NDA's one-time finance minister Yashwant Sinha hold the feat of presenting seven budgets - five full budgets and two interim.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh holds the privilege of presenting all five budgets as finance minister (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995) on behalf of a government - a rare honour he shares with P Chidambaram.

Apart from being first Chief Minister of Maharashtra, YB Chavan also served several times as a cabinet minister in the Central Government of India heading the portfolios of home, defence, finance and external affairs and later went on to become the Deputy Prime Minister of India. As a finance minister, he presented Union budgets in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974.

TT Krishnamachari served as finance minister in two stints. He presented three budgets, in 1957, 1964 and 1965. He also founded the TTK group.

Morarji Desai holds the record of presenting 10 budgets-eight full budgets and two interim.

John Mathai presented the first Railway budget for independent India. He later became the finance minister and had also presented the Union Budget in 1949 and 1950.

As a finance minister, C Subramaniam presented Union budgets in 1975 and 1976. He is also credited with laying the foundation for the green revolution in India as Union agriculture minister.