Budget 2021: The paperless budget is seen as a boost for Prime Minister Modi’s “Digital India” mission.
New Delhi:
The 2021 budget will be paperless, another novelty when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents her third budget. This morning, she was seen carrying a tablet in a red sleeve, matching her red and cream silk sari, with the national emblem engraved on it.
Nirmala Sitharaman had replaced the finance ministers’ standard budget briefcase with the traditional red one “Bahi-Khata“or cloth ledger in 2019 and had stayed with it last year.
He said it was “time to ditch” the “British hangover.” Besides, it was easier to carry, he had confessed.
The Paperless Budget, unveiled amid restrictions due to Covid, is also seen as a boost for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Digital India” mission.
This year, the Minister of Finance has launched the “Union Budget Mobile App” to allow parliamentarians and individuals to easily access budget documents.
For decades, India’s finance ministers had always carried red, black, tan or brown briefcases, which is a British tradition.
Sitharaman will present his government’s plan at a time when the country faces challenges ranging from a pandemic only in a century, job losses and a protest by farmers.
The Finance Minister has promised a “never before” budget; Prime Minister Modi softened expectations by saying the budget would include measures announced in “4-5 mini-budgets in 2020” for a nation affected by the pandemic.
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