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Nirmala Sitaharaman: There are a few more days left. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaharaman will present the budget on July 23. Before this, the final preparations took place on Tuesday. The Finance Minister started the budget phase by participating in the 'Halwa' ceremony with the employees of North Block.
What is this traditional 'Halwa' ceremony
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday participated in the 'Halwa' ceremony in the final phase of the budget preparation process for the Union Budget 2024-25. The traditional 'Halwa' event was held at the Union Finance Ministry headquarters in Delhi's North Block. On this day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman distributed halwa from a large iron pot to the employees of the ministry. Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Choudhary was also present on the occasion, along with secretaries, officers and employees associated with the budget preparation process.
Why the event is organised
The Halwa ceremony is a traditional ritual in which traditional sweet 'Halwa' is prepared and served to the staff and employees of the Finance Ministry involved in the preparation of the budget. It takes place in the basement of the North Block, where the Finance Minister and other senior officials are present. As part of the event, the Finance Minister also visited the Budget Press and felicitated the concerned officials as well as reviewed the preparations.
Paperless budget this time
The last three full Union Budgets and one interim, the 2024-25 Full Union Budget will also be delivered in paperless form. All Union Budget documents including Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Statutory Demands for Grants (DG), Finance Bill etc. will be available in the “Union Budget Mobile App” for hassle-free access to the Budget.
Halwa after release from 'lock in period'?
The Halwa Ceremony is a traditional ceremony held about a week before the “lock-in” process of budget preparation begins. During this event, halwa is prepared in the kitchen of the Finance Ministry. Following the traditional practice, this Indian dessert is served to all those who are directly involved in the budget preparation process. At the end of the ceremony, officials remain in the Finance Ministry until the Finance Minister presents the budget.
This lock-in process was introduced to maintain the secrecy of the upcoming budget. It is very important to keep any financial policy secret or confidential before it is presented in the Parliament. The budget is printed after getting the approval of the Prime Minister. To ensure secrecy, the Intelligence Bureau raided the printing press area in the basement of the main North Block. The tradition of 'Halwa' has been going on for decades. It is a part of Indian tradition or custom to eat something sweet before starting any important or special work. It is shown as a part of recognition of the efforts of all the people involved in budget making.