Budget 2023: FM Nirmala Sitharaman to perform Halwa Ceremony today; know all about the ritual

Budget 2023: Ahead of the Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will perform the annual budget ritual of 'Halwa Ceremony' on the occasion of 74th Republic Day in the Budget Press situated inside North Block.

“The Halwa ceremony, marking the final stage of the Budget preparation process for Union Budget 2023-24, will be held tomorrow in the presence of Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt.@nsitharaman, in the Budget Press situated inside North Block,” the Finance Ministry tweeted.

The Halwa ceremony, marking the final stage of the Budget preparation process for Union Budget 2023-24, will be held tomorrow in the presence of Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt. @nsitharaman, in the Budget Press situated inside North Block. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/PZJuyk6R5x

— Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) January 25, 2023

Along with the Union Finance Minister, the Halwa ceremony will be attended by the Union Ministers of State for Finance and Secretaries of the Ministry of Finance besides senior officials and members of the Union Budget Press.

Also Read: Budget 2023: Experts eye big push for infrastructure sector from government

The Union Budget of 2023-24 will also be presented in the paperless form and the Budget documents will be available on the "Union Budget Mobile App" on both the Android and Apple OS platforms after the completion of the Budget Speech by the Finance Minister in Parliament on 1st February, 2023.

The traditional halwa ceremony, held ahead of the Budget presentation every year in India, marks the commencement of the printing process of the government's Budget document. The ceremony also recognises the efforts of every staff member who was a part of the budget-making process.

As per the ritual, the halwa is prepared in a large wok and served to the officials of the finance ministry who are directly associated with the Budget.

Once the sweet dish is served, officials and other staff are made to stay in the basement of the north block of the finance ministry till the Budget is not tabled in the Parliament. These people, usually around 100 in number, are even cut off from their families for a period of around 10 days to ensure the secrecy of budget details and to prevent any leaks. Only senior officials are allowed to leave the north block.

Also Read: Budget 2023: Why agri stocks are in focus prior to Budget