Sitharaman again carries tablet in red pouch to present paperless Budget

Union Budget 2024:  As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proceeded to the Parliament, she showcased the “Bahi-Khata”, which now is a Made-in-India Tablet.

Sitharaman on Tuesday once again carried a digital tablet wrapped in a traditional 'bahi-khata' style pouch as she headed for Parliament to present the full Budget 2024-25 in a paperless format just like the previous years.

Sitharaman has always carried a briefcase or a “Bahi Khata” for the announcement of the Union Budget, be it the interim budget or the Union Budget. Since India has evolved in technology, the iconic “Bahi Khata”, which the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman carries has evolved with time. In 2019, the Finance Minister showcased the “Bahi Khata” ahead of her first Budget speech, and two years later, in 2021, she introduced the first Made-in-India tablet.

Draped in a white silk saree with a magenta border, she posed for the traditional 'briefcase' picture outside her office, along with her team of officials, before heading to meet the President.

With the tablet carefully kept inside a red cover with a golden-coloured national emblem embossed on it instead of the briefcase, Parliament will be her next destination after the call on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

History of Briefcase:

The tradition of carrying a briefcase or a box came from the United Kingdom in the 18th Century. Since then Indian Ministers have followed the footsteps of Britain and presented the Budget in different colors of briefcases like red, black, and tan. Some Finance Ministers like Morarji Desai, who held the record for most budget announcements used to carry the documents in Files.

How did this Briefcase tradition break?

Nirmala Sitharaman is the first Finance Minister who took a step ahead when her first Union Budget 2019 session was held. Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Bahi Khata to carry all her papers of documents in 2019. This remarked a tradition that highlighted the Indian tradition of households, and shops to maintain their budget and expense records for years immemorial.  

What is the current tradition?

The tradition of Bahi Khata was overtaken by the first made-in-India tablet which was introduced in the 2021 Union Budget by our Finance Minister.

This year, everyone has keen eyes on the red envelope that she carries into the Parliament before announcing the Budget. The red envelope consists of the National Emblem and the Made in India tablet which contains all the information about the Union Budget.

(Source: Republicbiz)