Interim Union Budget 2024 Embraces Digitalization: Transition to Paperless Operations and Mobile App Accessibility

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to unveil the 2024 Interim Union Budget on February 1. Following the trend of the previous three full Union Budgets, the Interim Union Budget 2024 will also be presented in a paperless, digital format.

According to a release from the Finance Ministry on January 24, all Budget documents will be accessible digitally through the 'Union Budget Mobile App' and open to everyone. The app will support iOS and Android devices and will be bilingual, catering to English and Hindi speakers.

The ministry announced that all Union Budget documents, such as the Annual Financial Statement (also known as Budget), Demand for Grants, Finance Bill, etc., as mandated by the Constitution, will be available on the 'Union Budget Mobile App'. This app provides a straightforward digital solution in both English and Hindi and can be downloaded from the Union Budget Web Portal (www.indiabudget.gov.in) for easy access by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public.

The Budget documents will be accessible through the mobile application right after the Union Finance Minister delivers the Budget Speech in Parliament on February 1, 2024.

Following her first Budget presentation in 2019, FM Nirmala Sitharaman emphasized the shift from traditional 'bahi khata' to tablets. This transition, she explained, would mark a departure from colonial practices and make it easier to carry.

The first digitally presented Budget was the Union Budget 2021-2022, where Sitharaman used a digital tablet enclosed in a red casing featuring the national emblem. This move was prompted by the necessity to go paperless amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

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