Nirmala Sitharaman, the Finance Minister of India, arrived at the Parliament today on February 1, 2024, to present the Interim Budget 2024. Her attire, a blue and cream tussar saree with intricate kantha embroidery, garnered attention from many.
The saree was a beautiful example of Indian handloom craftsmanship. The blue colour is often associated with stability and trust, while the cream colour represents purity and peace. The Kantha embroidery, a traditional form of needlework from Bihar and West Bengal, added a touch of elegance and cultural significance to the attire. Her blouse on the other hand was all cream along with an intricate blue border to compliment the saree.?
For accessories, she went minimalistic. She wore a simple gold chain and gold bangle to not overpower the saree.?
The choice of colours and fabric may have been deliberate, sending a subtle message about the budget itself. Blue could symbolize the government's commitment to fiscal stability, while cream could represent its focus on social welfare and development. The Kantha embroidery, a traditional art form practised by women, could also be seen as a nod to women's empowerment.
Other than that, off-white or cream colour tends to be the Finance Minister's favourite as she is seen wearing the colour a lot.?
Aside from the handwoven sarees, a consistent stylistic element in Nirmala Sitharaman's budget presentations has been the presence of the red book. In her initial budget in 2019, the red book took the form of a traditional bahi khata. However, starting in 2021, the budget adopted a paperless format, with Nirmala Sitharaman using a tablet enclosed in a red cover to present and read the budget documents.
According to a review report from the finance ministry, it has been projected that the Indian economy is poised to achieve a growth rate of approximately 7 per cent in the upcoming financial year 2024-25, commencing this April.
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