OMG! No kidding! Modi govt breaks 286 years-old tradition

New Delhi: It is a historic day for India and BJP both, as for the very first time country's budget was presented by its first full-time female Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman. But she wasn't the only reason which made it the talk of the town but the way she presented the 'Budget' went viral.

Until now, in India the budget was carried in the Parliament in a briefcase but shattering the 286 years-old tradition, handed over to us by Britishers, Sitharaman brought the Union Budget 2019 in what is called a 'Bahi Khata cover', which is a cloth lining in which the budget was wrapped.

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Where Britishers use a ‘Gladstone box’ to carry their budget, in India, Finance Minister usually carries Budget in a briefcase.

Tracing back the use of ‘Gladstone box’ to present British budget, the then chief William E Gladstone in 1860, used a red suitcase with Queen’s monogram embossed in gold to carry his bundle of papers. Which later came to be known as ‘Gladstone Box’.

The Budget briefcase came into being because Gladstone’s speeches were extraordinarily long and he needed a briefcase to carry his speech papers.

Interestingly, the same Gladstone box was used till 2010 which was then officially retired from British service after it became so shabby that it couldn't be used to carry budget papers.

In 1947, first Finance Minister RN Shanmukham Chetty carried a leather portfolio to present the first Budget of free India.

And later around 1970 onwards, it became a trend and Indian finance ministers started carrying a hardbound briefcase.

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