There was a buzz around the budget in the run-up to D-Day, something usually associated with the Union budget, since Himanta Biswa Sarma took over as the finance minister (FM), they said, referring to heightened activities on social media. On Wednesday, pictures of a beaming Sarma dressed in traditional dhoti-kurta and chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, displaying the budget before its presentation, were released on social media, adding to the buzz. “Smart move by the FM to make the state Budget 2019 look like presenting the Union Budget, be it the smart walk of CM & FM on their way to power corridors of Assembly; smartly dressed; smart photo session; smart presentation and of course smart in contents, smartly pleasing all sections of society”, Joshi wrote in a text message to The Telegraph when asked for his reaction. Sources in the finance department said consultations with all the departments and agencies on the budget was “much deeper” this time. All this created a buzz, unlike in previous years, and we hope these efforts will change the way people perceive the state budget,” a source said.

Source: The Telegraph February 07, 2019 10:07 UTC