FM Nirmala Sitharaman to present paperless budget for third consecutive year

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday will present a paperless budget for the third consecutive yearThe Finance Minister was seen with a digital device instead of the traditional bahikhata in her handsWednesdays Budget will be Sitharamans fifth Budget presentation as Finance MinisterIn 2019 the Union Budget was presented in a traditional bahikhata rather than a leather briefcase It was the first time since independence that any Finance Minister had opted out of a briefcase or a hardbound leather bagThe minister in 2019 not only garnered huge attention for carrying a bahikhata but also for implying the rich culture the country holdsA bahikhata holds prominence in Indian culture tradition and history For decades the Indian way of managing accounts and keeping a record of bills was done in a bahikhata Traders merchants sailors and even small shopkeepers have retained this way of preserving their dataHowever in 2021 due to the Covid19 pandemic the government had to take necessary steps to maintain the security and safety of everyone The Finance Minister moved ahead with the first paperless Budget holding a digital tablet wrapped in a redcoloured cover with the national emblem emblazoned on itAlso Read Budget 2023 Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman meets President Murmu ahead of budget presentationThe same year the minister also launched the Union Budget Mobile App for hasslefree access of Budget documents by the parliamentarians and the general public Following the same trend the next year the Union Budget 2022 was also a paperless budgetOn Wednesday the Budget documents will be available on the Union Budget Mobile App on both the Android and Apple OS platforms after the completion of the Budget Speech by the Finance MinisterLike every year the Finance Minister will first visit the North Block situated at Raisina Hill ahead of the Budget presentation on Wednesday Following this she will meet President Droupadi Murmu and will present the Union Budget 2023 at 11 AM in ParliamentEarlier on Tuesday Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey for the Financial Year 202223 in the Lok Sabha stating that the economic recovery of India from the Covid19 pandemic is complete and the economy is expected to grow in the range of 6 to 68 per cent in the coming financial year 202324 This is in comparison to the estimated 7 per cent this fiscal and 87 per cent in 202122Budget 2023 is likely to be the last full Budget of the Modi government in its second term with the next Lok Sabha election due in 2024The Budget Session of the Parliament began on Tuesday with President Droupadi Murmus address to the joint session where she spoke about different topics during her maiden address after being elected to the topmost office of the country last yearAhead of the Budget session of Parliament Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said Indias Budget will attempt to meet the hopes and aspirations of the common citizens amid the unstable global economic situationWith inputs from ANI