The Halwa ceremony marks the beginning of the 'lock-in' period during which all officials and staff directly involved in the budget preparation stay within the ministry premises till it is is tabled in Parliament
As part of the ceremony, Sitharaman also took a round of the Budget Press, a printing press that traditionally prints budget documents, besides extending her wishes to the officials concerned
Union budget halwa ceremony: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has often been photographed stirring the dessert while it was being prepared.