Finance Minister Sitharaman Uses ‘Made In India’ Tablet For Paperless Budget
Mumbai: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman carried the Union Budget 2022-23 in a paperless format in a ‘Made in India’ tablet kept inside a red cover with National Emblem embossed on it.
This is also the second time the country will get a paperless Budget owing to Covid restrictions and in a push for ‘Digital India’, the government’s flagship programme.
“#AatmanirbharBharatKaBudget | From ‘Bahi Khata’ to ‘Made in India’ Tablet Finance Minister @nsitharaman carrying the Budget in the #paperless format in a tablet kept inside a red cover with National Emblem embossed on it instead of the briefcase or ‘Bahi Khata‘,” the Twitter handle of ‘Digital India’ tweeted with a photo of Sitharaman holding the tablet surrounded by ministers and top officials.
https://twitter.com/_DigitalIndia/status/1488364000253722624?s=20&t=r4qWCHNDpUtumnG70bOszA
Like last year, Sitharaman will read the budget from the ‘Made in India’ tablet. In 2019, the Finance Minister replaced the colonial tradition of carrying ledger papers in briefcases with the traditional ‘Bahi Khata’. The budget papers were wrapped in red silk cloth with the national emblem embossed on them.
Last year the printing of budget papers was stopped due to covid restrictions and this year also the paperless budget will continue due to the outbreak of the pandemic. The tablet is this year wrapped in a red cover like ‘Bahi Khata’, the pictures of the Finance Minister carrying the tablet show.
The government also launched an app last year to make the budget available to everyone on a smartphone. The Union Budget 2022-23 will be available on the app for the Parliamentarians and the public once it is presented in the Parliament.
Last year the traditional ‘Halwa Ceremony’ was also held nine days ahead of the Budget as the document was not printed. This ritual marked the beginning of the printing of budget papers. This year, the ‘halwa ceremony’ was cancelled due to the pandemic for the first time.
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