Speaker permits Arun Jaitley to sit and deliver Budget speech

New Delhi: Within a few minutes of starting his Budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley took Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's permission to sit due to health issues.

Just after Jaitley started his speech, the Lok Sabha Speaker told him that if he wanted to he could present the Budget while sitting.

In 2015 too, Jaitley had to take a 10-minute break due to exhaustion and back pain. He also took frequent sips of water to keep up his energy levels.

While presenting the Budget, Jaitley listed 'nine pillars' including tax reforms, promoting ease of doing business and ensuring fiscal discipline, that will transform India. He said the pillars also include emphasis on governance reforms.