From Bahi-Khata To Tablet, How Nirmala Sitharaman Changed The Presentation Of The Budget!
She be bringing changes!
We Indians are extremely traditional at heart and take our rituals and traditions very seriously. The concept of maintaining a book or a bahi-khata as we call it for all our expenditures and income has been one of the age-old practises that our parents and their parents and their parents have been following! It was quite interesting to see how our Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also incorporated the concept of a bahi-khata when she presented the budget in 2019. And now, in her fifth time presenting the budget in front of the Parliament, Nirmalaji decided to go paperless as she was seen carrying an electronic tablet that contained the budget deets! We stan this evolution!
Delhi | Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reaches Rashtrapati Bhavan to call on President Murmu
FM will then attend the Union Cabinet meeting, and then present Union Budget 2023-24. pic.twitter.com/hHDSZU7g3j
— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2023
India’s first full-time female Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman surely gave a fancy twist to the way the budget was presented in our country. It all started when she decided to not go with the old briefcase in which the budget papers were brought in. The tradition of having the budget presented in a briefcase was started when the British ruled India. So, Nirmalaji decided to stick to the Indian ways of maintaining a budget, and brought the file of papers wrapped in a red cloth to present her first budget in 2019.
Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, MoS Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, MoS Shri Pankaj Chaudhary and senior officials of the Ministry of Finance called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan before presenting the Union Budget 2023-24. pic.twitter.com/Nun9hhaVyi
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) February 1, 2023
During the pandemic, she decided to change this trend and go paperless while presenting India’s budget. Following the same trend, Nirmala Sitharaman presented her fifth budget which is the budget for the year 2023-24 in a digital tablet. Now, even though the tablet was a modern way to present the budget, she kept it inside a red pouch which looked like a bahi-khata. The pouch also had India’s emblem stamped on it.
A Historic Picture. Never before a Woman Finance Minister has presented the Budget to a Woman President of India. #NariShakti #Budget2023 pic.twitter.com/sfSgizV3K8
— Yo Yo Funny Singh (@moronhumor) February 1, 2023
Also read: Union Budget 2023: 8 Things Women NEED From FM Nirmala Sitharaman To Empower Them
The FM also showcased this year’s digital bahi-khata to the press when she was on her way to the Parliament to present the big Budget. We hope this year’s budget takes into account women’s health, boosts female entrepreneurship and ensures tax benefits as well!
Budget Session 2023: President Murmu Shares Government’s Vision For Indian Women
