Nirmala Sitharaman begins Budget 2019 speech in Urdu

New Delhi, July 05: Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman began her budget speech in Urdu.

She started off with an Urdu couplet by poet, Manzoor Hashmi. Yakeen ho to koi raasta nikalta hai, hawa ki oat bhi le kar chirag jalta hai." Roughly translated, this would mean, " where there is a will there is a way."

Earlier in a departure from the traditional norm, Nirmala Sitharaman was seen carrying a Bahi Khata instead of a brief case ahead of the Union Budget 2019.

The Finance Minister was seen sporting a red bag (Bahi Khata), with the National Emblem on it. The tradition of carrying a briefcase goes back to the time when independent India's first finance minister R K Shankmukham Chetty carried one.

The Chief Economic Advisor said that this symbolises a departure from slavery from our western thought.

The bag holds the budget documents in a four fold red cloth instead of a briefcase. The CEA, Krishnamurthy Subramanian further said that it is an Indian tradition and symbolises our departure from slavery of western thought. It is not just a budget but a bahi khata (ledger), the CEA also said.

Nirmala Sitharaman will present Modi Sarkar 2.0's maiden budget in Parliament at 11 am today. The Finance Minister is expected to largely boost spending and provide tax relief.