No Halwa ceremony, paperless presentation: Finance Ministry announces what's new with Budget 2022

Visuals shared by Finance ministry in a press release (Image: PIB)

Union Budget 2022-23 will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in "paperless form", the government said on January 27, adding that the entire budget document will be released on a mobile application for the public after it is presented in the Parliament on February 1.

The application, named 'Union Budget Mobile App', has been launched for the lawmakers and the general public, the finance ministry said in an official release.

"The Union Budget 2022-23 would also be available on the Mobile App after the process of Budget presentation has been completed on 1st February 2022 in the Parliament," it said.

The mobile app allows complete access to 14 Union Budget documents, including the Budget Speech, Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill etc as prescribed by the Constitution, the ministry stated.

The application is bilingual (English & Hindi) and is available on both Android and iOS platforms, it further added.

Lock-in of officials involved in budget making

To mark the final stage of the Union Budget making process, sweets were provided to the core staff due to undergo “lock-in” at their workplaces, instead of a customary Halwa ceremony every year in view of the prevailing pandemic situation and the need to observe health safety protocols, the ministry said.

"To maintain the secrecy of Budget, there is a “lock-in” of the officials involved in making the Budget. Budget Press, situated inside North Block, houses all officials in the period leading up to the presentation of the Union Budget. These officers and staff will come in contact with their near and dear ones only after the Budget is presented by the Union Finance Minister in the Parliament," it further noted.