NEW DELHI: Departing from the 'colonial' briefcase, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday arrived at the Parliament with Union Budget 2019 documents draped in a four-fold red cloth called a 'bahi-khata' (ledger).Chief economic advisor (CEA) Krishnamurthy Subramanian explaining the shift from a briefcase to red cloth said that the government is following the "Indian tradition"."It is in Indian tradition. It symbolizes our departure from slavery of Western thought. It is not a budget but a 'bahi-khata' (ledger)," explained the CEA.The word 'budget' comes from the French word 'bougette' which means a bag. The tradition has been followed for years where the finance minister poses for a ceremonial photo outside the Parliament with the leather briefcase consisting budget documents.However, this year, Sitharaman departed from the practice and switched to the Indian 'bahi-khata'.'Bahi-khata' is the traditional Indian system of double-entry book keeping which according to some sources predates the Roman and Greek systems of accounts.A traditional 'bahi-khata' is made using cotton cloth, thread for binding the papers which are handmade.The finance minister is scheduled to present the Union Budget 2019 in the Parliament around 11 am on Friday.