Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram stated that the Union Budget was one that lacked a narrative similar to a movie which bombed after its first show. He said that the news on Budget had disappeared from media discussions just after two days of it having been tabled.

P Chidambaram likens Budget to flop movie; suggests steps for growth revival

India's benchmark BSE Sensex fell 363 points as finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the tax policy and levied additional excise on petrol and diesel. The Sensex had opened over the 40,000-mark before the Budget presentation on Friday but began to slide in the latter half of the Budget speech while remaining flat for the early part of the Budget speech by Sitharaman.

Sensex slides 363 points after Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget presentation

In a first, India's defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited US Indo Pacific command in Hawaii. The visit comes months after the US changed the name of Pacific command, its largest command in the world, to Indo Pacific command.

Defence minister visits US Indo-Pacific command in Hawaii