Briefcase To Bahi Khata To Tablet: A Journey Of Budget Presentation

Union Budget 2022: For years, Indian households, neighbourhood shops and small enterprises have managed their budget using the bahi khata, a ledger of accounts

When Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her first Union Budget in 2019, she drew the nation's attention by replacing the budget briefcase with the "bahi khata". The decision to opt for the bahi khata appeared to be a move to dump the colonial practice of carrying a briefcase. The "budget briefcase" was a remnant of the colonial era. It was a copy of the Gladstone Box, which British finance ministers have carried to parliament when presenting their budgets.

For years, Indian households, neighbourhood shops and small enterprises have managed their budget using the bahi khata, a ledger of accounts.

The next year, in 2020, Ms Sitharaman continued the practice and presented her budget using the bahi khata. She had famously said it was time India shed the "British hangover". She had also accepted that the bahi khata was easier to carry than the briefcase.

However, last year, the bahi khata gave way to a tablet, again a move in tandem with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push for a "Digital India". Reports at the time said the tablet was "Made in India", an effort to send out the message of a self-reliant nation.