Manoj Menon of The Mathrubhumi celebrates 25 years of continuous Union Budget reporting in 2026, having witnessed every presentation in the Lok Sabha since 2001, including interim Budgets. His career spans print and television, chronicling diverse Finance Ministers’ approaches and the impact of fiscal policies on everyday lives, earning him enduring respect.
The Union Budget of 2026, presented in the Lok Sabha today, carried with it not just the weight of fiscal expectations and policy directions but also a personal milestone for one of India’s most seasoned journalists. Manoj Menon of The Mathrubhumi completed 25 consecutive years of reporting on the nation’s most anticipated annual financial exercise, marking his Silver Jubilee in budget journalism. For Menon, the journey has been as much about chronicling the evolution of India’s economy as it has been about capturing the shifting political and social narratives that accompany every Budget presentation.
When he first began reporting on the Budget in the late 1990s, India was still navigating the early years of liberalisation. The country’s economic discourse was dominated by questions of fiscal prudence, deficit management, and the balancing act between growth and welfare. Over the years, Menon has witnessed Finance Ministers from different political dispensations bring their own philosophies to the Budget, each leaving an imprint on the nation’s economic trajectory. From the reformist zeal of the late 1990s to the populist undertones of the early 2000s, from the technocratic precision of mid-2000s Budgets to the ambitious infrastructural and digital pushes of the 2010s and 2020s, Menon’s reporting has been a mirror to India’s evolving priorities.
His professional journey reflects the breadth of his experience. Beginning at the Mathrubhumi Daily in Thiruvananthapuram between 1994 and 1997, Menon honed his skills in grassroots reporting before moving to the Kozhikode bureau and the weekly desk. By 1999, he was back in Thiruvananthapuram, sharpening his understanding of state politics and its interplay with national issues. The turning point came in 2001 when he was posted to Delhi, a move that placed him at the heart of India’s political and economic decision-making. For five years, he reported from the capital for Mathrubhumi Daily, covering not just Budgets but also the broader spectrum of parliamentary proceedings, policy debates, and political churn.
His career then took him into television journalism, first with Manorama News between 2006 and 2008, then with Indiavision until 2013, and later with Mathrubhumi News until 2016. These years expanded his reach, bringing his Budget analyses to a wider audience through the immediacy of broadcast media. Yet, in 2016, he returned to the print bureau of Mathrubhumi Daily in Delhi, reaffirming his commitment to the depth and detail that print journalism allows. Since 2023, he has held the charge of Chief of Bureau, a role that underscores his leadership in shaping the newspaper’s national coverage.
The Union Budget, for Menon, has never been merely about numbers. His reporting has consistently emphasised the human dimension of fiscal policy—the way tax reforms affect households, how subsidies shape rural livelihoods, how infrastructure allocations transform cities, and how healthcare and education spending redefine opportunities for millions. Over 25 years, he has seen Finance Ministers grapple with crises and opportunities alike: the aftermath of global recessions, the challenges of inflation, the imperatives of job creation, and the demands of social equity. Each Budget, in his telling, is a story of choices—choices that ripple through the lives of ordinary citizens.
Menon’s coverage has also highlighted the distinct styles of Finance Ministers. Some approached the Budget as a solemn exercise in fiscal discipline, others as a political statement, and still others as a vision document for long-term growth. He recalls the meticulous detail of technocrats who sought to reassure markets, the populist flourishes of leaders who aimed to win hearts, and the reformist zeal of those who dared to push structural changes. Through it all, Menon’s reporting has provided clarity to readers, distilling complex economic jargon into narratives that resonate with everyday concerns.
Witnessing the Budget presentation in the Lok Sabha for 25 consecutive years, including interim Budgets, is itself a rare achievement. Few journalists can claim such continuity, and fewer still can match the consistency of perspective that Menon has brought to his work. His presence in the press gallery has become a fixture, a reminder of the enduring role of journalism in holding economic policy to public scrutiny.
The impact of his reporting extends beyond the pages of Mathrubhumi. For readers across Kerala and beyond, Menon’s Budget analyses have been a trusted guide to understanding how national fiscal decisions translate into local realities. Farmers, small business owners, salaried employees, and students have found in his writing a bridge between the abstractions of policy and the concreteness of daily life. His ability to connect macroeconomic shifts with micro-level experiences has been the hallmark of his journalism.
As Chief of Bureau since 2023, Menon has also mentored younger journalists, instilling in them the importance of rigour, clarity, and empathy in reporting. He often emphasises that the Budget is not just a financial document but a social contract, reflecting the government’s priorities and the nation’s aspirations. His insistence on contextualising numbers within narratives has shaped the editorial ethos of Mathrubhumi’s Delhi bureau.
The Silver Jubilee of his Budget reporting is not merely a personal milestone but also a testament to the role of sustained journalism in a democracy. In an era where news cycles are increasingly fragmented and attention spans shortened, Menon’s 25-year commitment to a single annual event underscores the value of continuity and depth. His reporting has chronicled India’s economic journey from cautious liberalisation to ambitious globalisation, from deficit anxieties to digital dreams, from welfare commitments to infrastructural expansions.
Looking back, Menon acknowledges that each Budget has been a learning experience. The numbers may change, the priorities may shift, but the underlying challenge remains the same: balancing growth with equity, ambition with realism, and politics with policy. For him, the Budget is a narrative of India itself—its struggles, its aspirations, and its evolving identity.
As the Union Budget of 2026 unfolds, Menon’s Silver Jubilee stands as a reminder of the enduring power of journalism to illuminate complex realities. His journey from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi, from print to television and back, from reporter to bureau chief, mirrors the transformations of Indian media and politics over the past three decades. Yet, at its core, his work remains anchored in a simple conviction: that journalism must serve the public by making sense of the forces that shape their lives.
In celebrating 25 years of Budget reporting, Manoj Menon not only marks a personal achievement but also reaffirms the role of the press in India’s democratic fabric. His Silver Jubilee is a tribute to persistence, perspective, and the power of storytelling in the service of public understanding. And as India looks ahead to new economic challenges and opportunities, his voice will continue to guide readers through the labyrinth of fiscal policy, reminding them that behind every Budget lie the lives of people it seeks to touch.
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