Union Budget 2023-24 | Government holds customary ‘halwa’ ceremony to mark final stage of Budget preparation

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the ‘halwa’ ceremony.
| Photo Credit: Twitter/@FinMinIndia

The ‘Halwa Ceremony’, a customary event that marks the final stage of the preparation process of the Union Budget 2023-24, was held in North Block on January 26. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and other officials of the Ministry attended the event. The ceremony is performed every year before the “lock-in” process of the Budget preparation.

The Finance Minister began the ceremony by stirring the ‘halwa’ and served it to colleagues at the Ministry’s headquarters.

A customary Halwa ceremony is performed every year before the “lock-in” process. The “lock-in” of officials involved in Budget preparation is done to ensure secrecy of the Budget and the officers come out of the North Block only after the it is presented in Parliament by the Finance Minister.

Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry also said that the Union Budget 2023-24 will be delivered in paperless form, as it was done for the last two years. It will be presented on February 01, 2023.

“All the 14 Union Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill etc. as prescribed by the Constitution, will available on the “Union Budget Mobile App” for hassle-free access of Budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public using the simplest form of digital convenience. It is bilingual (English & Hindi) and will be available on both Android and iOS platforms,” the Ministry said in a statement.

“The Budget documents will be available on the Mobile App after the completion of the Budget Speech by the Finance Minister in Parliament on 1st February, 2023,” it further said.