Budget 2019: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman drops briefcase for 'Bahi Khata'

Budget 2019: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2019, the first budget of PM Narendra Modi's government 2.0 after being re-elected winning Lok Sabha Elections 2019. Nirmala Sitharaman walked out of the North Block Ministry in Delhi's Raisana Hills to present the Union Budget 2019, but everyone noticed one thing that the Finance Minister was not picking up the iconic briefcase. Instead, of a briefcase, which Arun Jaitley and Piyush Goyal carried while going to present the Budget 2019, Nirmala Sitharaman chose a red folder with National emblem, the Ashok Chakra on it.

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The red folder with Ashok Chakra on the front tied together with a string is what Nirmala Sitharaman carried to the Parliament. Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy Subramanian spoke up on why Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman keeping budget documents in four-fold red cloth instead of a briefcase. He said that it is in Indian tradition. It symbolizes our departure from the slavery of Western thought. It is not a budget but a 'Bahi Khata'(ledger).

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Bahi Khata is a traditional ledger which is maintained by the businesses to keep the record of transactions. For years, Finance Minister with the deep maroon or brown briefcases were a common sight. Nirmala Sitharaman is the first full-time women finance minister and hence this is indeed her first time that she is going to announce a budget.

-PTC News