Budget 2022: In pics! From briefcase to tablet-Budget 2022: The journey of the budget bag
Union Budget 2022-23: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the budget for the financial year 2022-23 on February 1.
Union Budget 2022-23: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the budget for the financial year 2022-23 on February 1.
This is the fourth budget of the second term of the Modi government. Before the year 2019, the Finance Minister used to bring a copy of the budget to the Parliament in a briefcase. In 2019, this briefcase was turned into a red ledger. During Budget 2021, the concept of 'bookkeeping' was modernized, and the document appeared in the form of a tablet. With the changing governments, the colour of the budget briefcase also changed. Let's take a look at the journey of the budget bag that took the journey from briefcase to tablet.
How the journey of budget bag or briefcase started
The story of bringing the budget in a briefcase to India is quite an interesting one. In the year 1860, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer Chief William Evert Gladston presented the budget of India for the first time. He was known for giving long speeches. In such a situation, he felt the need for a big briefcase to keep his papers. This is where the trend of long speeches started. He had brought his papers in this bag. That's when this briefcase tradition came into play. On these papers was the gold monogram of the Queen of Britain. The Queen herself gave this suitcase to Gladston to present the budget.
Britain's Red Gladston budget box was in vogue until 2010. Later this briefcase became so dilapidated that it was kept in the museum, and a fresh red leather budget box was used in its place.
(Pic: Reuters)
The colour and size of the budget bag changed with the governments.
Along with the governments of India, the colour and shape of the budget bag also kept changing. The British colonization has had an impact on India's budget box or suitcase. Even after independence, this tradition of leather bags was continued in India. This tradition of the briefcase has been inherited by the Government of India. In this red leather bag, the account of India's condition and its progress remains closed in this bag.
This tradition of budget bags was maintained even after India's independence in 1947. On November 26, 1947, Shanmukham Shetty, the first Finance Minister of independent India, also brought the same suitcase to present the budget. During the 1998–99 budget, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha introduced a black leather bag with straps and buckles, while former PM Manmohan Singh carried a plain black bag during his popular 1991 budget.
(Pic: Reuters)
Bookkeeping came in July 2019
The budget document of July 2019 appeared in a different style. Instead of a large briefcase, the budget document appeared in the form of 'bookkeeping' in red velvet cloth. The emblem of the Government of India was on the cloth. The then Chief Economic Advisor KV Subramanian had told about this that this is an Indian tradition. It is a symbol of liberation from the slavery of Western thought. This is not a budget but a 'bookkeeping'.
(Pic: Reuters)
Budget 2021: Budget presented in tablet
The use of technology increased the fastest due to the Corona epidemic. The budget was also not untouched by this. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget 2021-22 through a tablet in Parliament. The Budget tab replaced the traditional ledger. This tablet appeared in a red cloth similar to a ledger. It had the emblem of the Government of India on it. With this, a completely paperless budget started.
Pic: Reuters