FM Sitharaman reveals paperless Budget 2021 with the launch of Mobile App

In the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the upcoming Union Budget 2021, due to be presented on 1st February, is going to be completely paperless. Ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget on 1 February, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday launched the "Union Budget Mobile App" for hassle-free access of Budget-related documents.

For the first time since independence, the budget will not be printed in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Central Government received permission for the proposed paperless budget from both the houses of the parliament.

The decision has been taken as nearly 100 people would be required to stay at the printing press for around a fortnight amid the pandemic fear.

Key Pointers about the Union Budget Mobile App:

• The mobile app will give a complete access to 14 Union Budget documents which includes the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill, among many others, as prescribed by the Constitution.
• With a user-friendly interface, the Union Budget App comes with embedded features of downloading, printing, search, zoom in and out, bidirectional scrolling, table of contents and external links, etc.
• It is a bilingual app available in both Hindi and English, and will be available across Android and IOS platforms.
• The app can also be downloaded from the Union Budget Web Portal -- www.indiabudget.gov.in. The app has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the guidance of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA).
• All Budget-related documents will be available on the mobile app after the completion of the Budget speech by FM Sitharaman in Parliament on 1 February.