Union Budget 2024 | Briefcase to tablet: Journey of Budget presentation in India

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on July 23, having already presented an Interim Budget ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In light of the upcoming Budget, we take a look at some trivia.

Over the years, the Union Budget presentation has witnessed many changes. On the day of Budget presentation, the Finance Minister poses with a red pouch outside the Parliament. This tradition has been followed till now by all the Finance Ministers in India.

The journey of Budget presentation in India has been interesting and symbolic. The transition from briefcase to 'bahi khata', and now tablet, has reflected the need to adapt to new technologies.

While in Britain, the Budget briefcase was passed on from one finance minister to another, Indian ministers kept changing bags during their tenure.

Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley holding the Union Budget briefcase at Parliament. (Union Budget 2018-19)

The tradition of briefcase, started by Britishers, was inherited in India. In 1860, the then budget chief William E Gladstone used a red suitcase with the Queen’s monogram embossed on it. This was called 'Gladstone Box', and all the supreme heads carried this box during their presentations.

India’s first finance minister R K Shanmukham Chetty carried the first budget briefcase on November 26, 1947.

Interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal presents the interim Budget 2019-20 at Parliament. 

When the incumbent Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her first Union Budget in 2019, she scripted history by breaking the tradition. Sitharaman replaced the old budget briefcase with 'bahi khata' - a traditional Indian ledger of accounts - dumping the colonial way of carrying a briefcase.

Sitharaman continued in 2020 and presented her budget using the bahi khata again.

However in 2021, for the first time, the bahi khata gave way to a tablet, a move in tandem with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push for a 'Digital India.'

The use of the tablet has also made the budget presentation more accessible and completely paperless, as it can be viewed online as well. The Centre also launched the 'Union Budget Mobile App' for lawmakers and public to access Budget documents easily.

Reports at the time said that the tablet was 'Made in India' - an effort to send out the message of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.

While bahi khata signified India’s rich cultural heritage, tablet represented the country’s aspirations to become a digital superpower.

Union Budget 2024 | Making a record for any Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman will be presenting her 7th Union Budget on July 23, 2024 under the Modi 3.0 government. While inflation has burnt a hole in the pockets of 'aam janata', will this Budget spell relief for Indians? Track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analysis only on Deccan Herald. Also follow us on WhatsApp, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.