Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Budget for fiscal year 2022-23 on February 1, the tone of which will be set with the "halwa ceremony" - a tradition that marks the final stage of the Budget-making process.
The "halwa ceremony" is generally organised at the Finance Ministry headquarters in the Secretariat building’s North Block basement in the national capital. The Finance Minister kicks off the celebrations by stirring the dessert in a traditional kadhai (cauldron) and then serves it to her colleagues. The ministers of state (MoS Finance) and other top officials of the ministry are present during the ceremony.
This ritual also sets the stage for a significant event soon after. The North Block becomes Fort Knox for 10-odd days up to the presentation of the Budget, where all officials and staff involved in the Budget-making process isolate themselves to maintain rigid secrecy about the document. Even the Finance Minister is bound by strict rules. However, she is the only one allowed to move in and out of the building during this period.
Last year officials did not have to stay back as a paperless Budget was presented for the first time ever. The "halwa ceremony" earlier used to mark the commencement of the printing of the Budget document. As there was no printing last year, the ceremony took place nine days ahead of the presentation. Last year, the government also launched the Union Budget mobile app that provides people digital access to the Budget.
The "halwa ceremony" is organised as an effort to recognise and appreciate the efforts of the staff involved in the long-drawn Budget-making process that lasts months. The halwa is served to everyone who worked on the key document.
The tradition has been carried out for decades in the basement of the North Block that also houses the special printing press, which printed the Budget documents from 1980 until 2020.
This year will be Sitharaman's fourth Budget after 2019, 2020 and 2021. She had read out the Budget from a tablet last year in parliament.
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