India's Budget Carrier: From Leather Briefcase to Digital Tablet, A Journey of Evolution

• India's Budget carrier has transformed from a colonial-era leather briefcase to a bahi khata and now a digital tablet, reflecting the nation's political and cultural shifts.
• The term 'Budget' originates from the French 'bougette', meaning a small leather bag, which eventually lent its name to the financial statement.
• India inherited the Budget briefcase tradition from Britain, where Chancellor William E Gladstone first used a red leather suitcase in 1860.
• Unlike Britain's single inherited briefcase, India's Finance Ministers historically chose their own carriers, leading to variations in design.
• In 2019, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman replaced the briefcase with a bahi khata, and in 2021, the Budget went fully paperless, presented on a tablet.

Why It Matters: India's Budget presentation has evolved from a colonial briefcase to a digital tablet, symbolizing a shift towards modernity.