Budget 2024: The traditional Halwa ceremony, considered the last stage of finalizing the budget document, took place on Tuesday. With this, the work of finalizing the budget document for the financial year 2024-25 has started. The budget will be presented in the Lok Sabha on July 23. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the function and distributed halwa as a tradition. Let us tell you that this is a function held every year in which halwa is prepared and served to the officers and employees of the Finance Ministry who are involved in the preparation of the budget.
What did the Finance Ministry say?
This function is organized in the 'Basement' of North Block, Delhi. The printing press is right here. The Finance Ministry is located in North Block itself. The Finance Minister and other high ranking officials participated in it. The Finance Ministry wrote on Twitter, “The final phase of the budget preparation process for the Union Budget 2024-25 began here with the traditional Halwa ceremony in the presence of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.” During this, the Finance Minister visited the budget press. Also did this and reviewed the preparations besides conveying good wishes to the concerned officials. Like the last three full Union Budgets and the interim budget, the Budget 2024-25 will also be paperless, i.e. in digital form. All Union Budget documents including the Annual Financial Statement (known as the Budget), Demands for Grants, Finance Bills etc. will be available on the 'Union Budget Mobile App'.
what are the details
Apart from Sitharaman, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Choudhary and Finance Secretary TV Somanathan, Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth and Financial Services Secretary Vivek Joshi, other senior officials were present at the ceremony. Actually, the 'Halwa' ceremony is the process of 'separating' the officers and employees of the Finance Ministry involved in the preparation of the Central Government Budget. That means they are completely isolated from the outside world. These officers and employees stay in the 'basement' of North Block till the budget is presented in the Parliament. Where complete confidentiality is maintained. They come out only after the Finance Minister completes his budget speech in the Lok Sabha.
