Nearly five years ago, in her first union budget presentation itself, India¡¯s first full time female Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had broken an age old tradition. Instead of carrying the Union Budget in a briefcase, FM Sitharaman had in 2019 started carrying the documents wrapped in red cloth.
In July 2019, when FM Sitharman presented her first ever budget, she not only broke from the British-era tradition of carrying a briefcase by using a bahi khata (ledger), she also wrapped it in a red cloth tied with a string.
The red cloth wrapped to the bahi khata file (from 2019-2021) has the national emblem emblazoned on it. The reason for red is that red cloth is usually used to cover religious texts in our country.
After 2021, FM Sitharaman began presenting a paperless budget by using a tablet instead of bahi khata. She wraps that tab with a red cloth.
From 2019, FM Sitharaman replaced the briefcase with a bahi khata (ledger file) and then from the year 2021, she presented the budget in a paperless form, using a tablet. Reacting on the move at that time, India¡¯s Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy Subramanian had called it a sign of departure from slavery of Western slavery.
Also Read:?Meet Nirmala Sitharaman's Team Behind Interim?Budget 2024
India's Ministry of Finance has already mentioned that just?like the previous three previous Union Budgets,?interim budget 2024 will also be presented in paperless form.?
Its noteworthy that this year India will have two union budgets. February 1st will witness FM Sitharaman presenting an interim budget. And later in July 2024, after the Lok Sabha elections, the newly formed govt will present the full union budget.
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