NEW DELHI: India is presenting ‘bahi-khata’ (ledger) this financial year 2019/20 and the age-old system of carrying the briefcase for presenting the ‘budget’ is discontinued. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamanis presenting the Union Budget 2019 documents draped in a four-fold red cloth called a ‘bahi-khata’ (ledger) on Friday 11 am. Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Krishnamurthy Subramanian explains it as a shift from a briefcase carrying culture holding a bahi-khata draped in a red cloth as a symbol of Indian tradition.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not pose with the iconic briefcase, like her predecessors while going for the presentation of Union Budget of Government of India, 2019. Nirmala Sitharaman’s red folder caused a buzz amid anticipation surrounding her first budget, also the first of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second term.
The word “Budget” originates from the French “bougette” or leather bag. Down the years, finance ministers of India have carried red, black, tan and brown briefcases. The “budget case” tradition started in the 18th century, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer or Britain’s budget chief was asked to ‘open the budget’ while presenting his annual statement.
India’s first budget was presented by RK Shanmukham Chetty in 1947, months after independence. Ten years later, T T Krishnamachari carried something that looked like a file bag. Jawaharlal Nehru carried a black briefcase. Earlier this year, then Finance Minister Piyush Goyal had carried a red briefcase before presenting the Interim Budget. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before him carried a tan briefcase.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as the finance minister who delivered the iconic 1991 proposals, carried a black bag. Pranab Mukherjee, as Manmohan Singh’s finance minister, used a red briefcase similar to the Gladstone case of Britain. It was velvet, according to reports. (Agencies)
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