Budget 2023: Halwa Ceremony Held To Mark Final Stage of Budget Preparation Process

The traditional ‘Halwa ceremony‘ was on Thursday (January 26) held in the North Block, marking the final stage of the Budget preparation process for the Union Budget 2023-24. The ceremony was held in the presence of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Ministers of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary and Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad.

“The Halwa ceremony, marking the final stage of the Budget preparation process for Union Budget 2023-24, was held in North Block, today afternoon, in the presence of Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Ministers of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary and Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad,” the finance ministry said in a statement.

A customary Halwa ceremony is performed every year before the “lock-in” process of Budget preparation begins.

Like the previous two Union Budgets, Union Budget 2023-24 will also be delivered in paperless form. The Union Budget 2023-24 is to be presented on February 1, 2023.

All the 14 Union Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill, etc., as prescribed by the Constitution, will available on the ‘Union Budget Mobile App’ for hassle-free access of Budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public using the simplest form of digital convenience. It is bilingual (English & Hindi) and will be available on both Android and iOS platforms. The app can also be downloaded from the Union Budget Web Portal (www.indiabudget.gov.in).

The Budget documents will be available on the Mobile App after the completion of the Budget Speech by the finance minister in Parliament on February 1, 2023.

At the Halwa Ceremony, the Union finance minister was also accompanied by T V Somanathan, finance secretary and secretary expenditure; Ajay Seth, secretary of economic affairs; Tuhin Kanta Pandey, secretary of DIPAM; Sanjay Malhotra, secretary of revenue; Anantha V Nageswaran, chief economic advisor; Nitin Gupta, chairman of Central Board for Direct taxes (CBDT); Vivek Johri, chairman of Central Board for Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC); and Ashish Vachhani, additional secretary (budget) besides others officers and staff of the Ministry of Finance, involved in the Budget preparation and compilation process, were also present on the occasion.

As part of the ceremony, the finance minister also took a tour of the Budget Press and reviewed the preparations besides extending her best wishes to the officials concerned.

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