Budget 2025: FM Nirmala Sitharaman Showcases Budget Tablet In Red Sleeve | Watch

Budget 2025: FM Nirmala Sitharaman Showcases Budget Tablet In Red Sleeve | Watch

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Union Budget 2025: With the tablet carefully kept inside the red cover with a golden-coloured national emblem embossed on it, Parliament will be Sitharaman’s next destination

Budget 2025: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman poses with her tablet in a red sleeve outside the Finance ministry on Saturday. (Screengrab/ANI)

India Budget 2025: Dressed in a white-red Madhubani print saree, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday morning posed outside the ministry with a tablet in a ‘bahi khata’ sleeve, ahead of her eighth consecutive Budget speech.

With the tablet, via which she will table the Union Budget 2025, carefully kept inside the red cover with a golden-coloured national emblem embossed on it, Parliament will be Sitharaman’s next destination after the call on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

This year, Sitharaman has chosen to flaunt a white saree with a colourful Madhubani motif and intricate golden border. She paired it with a red blouse and a shawl, showcasing her love for handloom in her sartorial choices.

The finance minister chose minimalist accessories, which included earrings, a chain, and gold bangles, that perfectly complemented her saree.

The finance minister posed for the traditional ‘briefcase’ picture outside her office, along with her team of officials, before heading to meet the President.

Here’s a look at how the Budget briefcase has evolved.

Over the years, Indian finance ministers have been captured in photographs as they entered parliament carrying a briefcase for the yearly Budget presentation. However, this tradition underwent a significant transformation in 2019, when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman opted for a ‘Bahi Khata,’ bidding farewell to the conventional Budget briefcase.

What Is ‘Bahi Khata’?

In 2019, Finance Minister Sitharaman ushered in a departure from the iconic budget briefcase, opting instead for a “Bahi Khata” or cloth ledger. This decision aimed to break away from the colonial tradition where British finance ministers used to carry a “Gladstone Box” to Parliament, a practice subsequently replaced by bags and briefcases. India embraced a similar transition.

In the lead-up to the 2019 budget presentation, Nirmala Sitharaman was observed with a red Bahi Khata, a traditional ledger of accounts, instead of the customary briefcase. This departure was interpreted as a symbolic renunciation of the colonial legacy, as the briefcase itself was a vestige of British rule in India, modelled after the ‘Gladstone box’ utilised in British budget presentations.

  • Break away from a colonial practice: The briefcase was seen as a remnant of British rule in India. Using the Bahi Khata, a traditional Indian accounting tool, was seen as a way to embrace the country’s heritage and symbolism.
  • Connect with the common people: The Bahi Khata is a familiar symbol for many Indians, particularly those in rural areas and small businesses. Using it was seen as a way to make the budget presentation more relatable and accessible to the average citizen.
  • Signal a focus on financial inclusion: The Bahi Khata is often used by small businesses and entrepreneurs to track their finances. Using it was seen as a way to signal the government’s commitment to supporting these sectors.

The inaugural union budget of independent India saw its first finance minister, RK Shankmukham Chetty, adhering to the British tradition by transporting documents in a leather portfolio bag. Subsequently, in the following years, various finance ministers opted for distinct briefcases to present the budget.

In contrast, Sitharaman’s choice to utilise the Bahi Khata added an indigenous flair to the budgetary process.

“I thought it was better we move out from the British handhold. And I thought it was good enough to do something on our own. It was easier for me to carry also and very Indian,” Sitharaman said of her decision to use the red silk Bahi Khata.

The customary vessel for budget documents made its second and final appearance in 2020. However, the subsequent year witnessed a departure from this traditional book of accounts in favour of a more contemporary device. In 2021, Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget in a paperless format, employing a domestically manufactured tablet.

In 2021, 2022, and again in 2023 and 2014, she brought the tablet to parliament enclosed in a red pouch reminiscent of the Bahi Khata style. The choice to adopt a tablet was perceived as a stride in support of the government’s Digital India initiative.

News business Budget 2025: FM Nirmala Sitharaman Showcases Budget Tablet In Red Sleeve | Watch

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