Bengaluru, 16 Feb

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ditched the tradition of carrying budget documents in a suitcase for his State Assembly address. Instead, he opted for a leather bag crafted by the government-owned Lidkar organization, marking a first in the State's budgetary history.

This move follows similar shifts at the national level, where Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman opted for a bag for the 2024 Interim Budget and former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai did the same. This switch even coincides with the increased focus on LIDKAR, which has over 50,000 artisan families with the popular actor Dolly Dhananjay recently appointed as its Ambassador.

Siddaramaiah’s choice to switch to a LIDKAR bag is seen by some as a gesture of promoting the State-owned enterprise and highlighting its craftsmanship. The gesture carries a subtle message of breaking free from colonial baggage and embracing local talent.