NEW DELHI: Just like many things over the last year, the Union Budget too has gone digital in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will read out her third Union Budget from a made-in-India tablet. This will be the first time that budget will be entirely paperless.
Emerging out of the finance ministry earlier today, Sitharaman was seen posing with the tablet wrapped in a traditional red cover.
In her previous two budgets, Sitharaman had caused quite a buzz by ditching the briefcase for a bahi-khata (ledger).
Chief economic advisor (CEA) Krishnamurthy Subramanian had explained this shift, saying that the government is following the "Indian tradition".
The finance minister has also launched the "Union Budget Mobile App" for hassle-free access to Budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public.
The app facilitates complete access to 14 Union Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), and Finance Bill as prescribed by the Constitution.