Govt to present digital budget, with features

On the updated app, made by the National Informatics Centre under the supervision of the department of economic affairs, users will be able to download the budget in PDF format and access specific data through dropdown fields.

The Union Budget 2023-24 will be presented on February 1 in a paperless form like in the previous two years, while related documents will be available in the digital form on a mobile application downloadable on both the Android and Apple OS platforms, an official familiar with the matter said.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman distributes halwa to the members of Budget Press during the halwa ceremony ahead of the lock in process of the Budget preparation, in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI)

All budget documents and annexures will be available in Hindi and English on the Union Budget app as soon as finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman finishes her budget speech, the official said, adding the app will have several new features this year.

On the updated app, made by the National Informatics Centre under the supervision of the department of economic affairs, users will be able to download the budget in PDF format and access specific data through dropdown fields.

“This time, users will also be able to compare data across the previous two Union budgets,” the official said. The budget was first presented in a paperless form on February 1, 2021 due to Covid-19 disruptions.

Union Budget 2023-24 will be the Narendra Modi government’s last full budget before the ruling National Democratic Alliance faces a general election in 2024. According to analysts, the government is expected to stay the course on fiscal consolidation, contain the subsidy bill, while stepping up capital investment and domestic manufacturing capacity.

“The government will print only 40-odd hard copies. This is an eco-friendly step,” the official said.

Before 2021, the finance ministry would print several hundred copies of the Union budget, a process that had to be stopped because of the pandemic. The printing of the budget usually takes place inside the North Block, which houses the finance ministry.