India's Budget Tradition: From Briefcase to Bahi Khata to Tablet

• India's Budget presentation has evolved significantly, moving from a colonial-era briefcase to a traditional bahi khata, and now to a modern tablet.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman initiated these changes, replacing the briefcase with a bahi khata in 2019 to embrace Indian cultural roots.
• In 2021, the Budget went paperless, with Sitharaman carrying a made-in-India tablet wrapped in the symbolic red pouch.
• The red color, traditionally associated with strength, prosperity, and auspicious beginnings in India, has remained a constant symbol throughout these changes.
• The upcoming Union Budget 2026, to be presented by Nirmala Sitharaman, will be the first to be presented on a Sunday, focusing on growth, fiscal discipline, and economic reforms.

Why It Matters: India's Budget presentation evolved from British briefcase to bahi khata and now a tablet, embracing Indian culture and technology.