Briefcase to ‘Bahi Khata’: FM ends British Tradition on Budget Day

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Jul 05, 2019 : The painstaking secrecy of the Budget is a British legacy, so is the Budget briefcase that the finance minister carries on the day it is tabled, Yahoo reported.

 

But in a departure from what was the tradition so far, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived with a red cloth folder (bahi katha or a ledger notebook) instead of the briefcase, to present the Budget on Friday, 5 July.

Interestingly, the word ’budget’ originated from the French word ‘Bougette’, which means a leather briefcase.

Traditionally, India’s budget briefcase is a copy of the ‘Gladstone Box’ which is used by the British government. However, while the British finance ministers pass on the briefcase to their successors, their Indian counterparts carry their own.

Surprised with the departure from the British legacy, Tweeple questioned why the briefcase was missing in action.