New Delhi: The Union Budget 2025-26 will be presented on February 1. Every year, before the presentation of the Budget, the Halwa ceremony is organised by the Union Finance Minister. Incumbent Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will organise the Halwa ceremony on January 24 (Friday) in the North Block.
The finance minister organises the traditional Halwa ceremony every year before the start of the lock-in process of the officials involved in budget preparation. In this article, we inform you about the Halwa ceremony and why it is organised.
Why is the Halwa ceremony organised?
The Halwa ceremony is seen as the beginning of the final preparations for the budget. After this ceremony. After the ceremony, lockdown begins at the finance ministry. The ‘lock in’ period of all the officers involved in the making of the budget starts, that is, those officers have to be ‘locked’ in the premises. No official is allowed to leave the ministry compound till the time the financial document is presented in the Parliament. Strict monitoring is ensured so that officials involved in the budget work do not leak any information. At the same time, the Finance Minister also has to follow all the strict rules. The officials involved in the Budget process are prohibited from using mobile phones or the internet.
What is the importance of Halwa ceremony?
Halwa Ceremony is an annual tradition which includes preparing and serving halwa to the officers and employees involved in budget preparations. After this, those employees are isolated from all types of external communication. The halwa is cooked in a large kadhai and Finance Minister ceremoniously stirs the ‘kadhai’. The minister also serves the halwa to everyone involved in the Budget-making process. The tradition is a way to acknowledge the hard work of all the finance ministry officials.
The halwa ceremony will be attended by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State Pankaj Chaudhary, and secretaries. Officers and staff involved in the budget preparation will also be in attendance.
After the ceremony, the approval of the Prime Minister is obtained after which the budget documents are sent for printing.
The annual Halwa ceremony, marking the start of the Union Budget 2025-26 preparation’s final stage, qwill be held on January 24, 2025. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Budget 2025 on February 1, 2025. Biz News Business News – Personal Finance News, Share Market News, BSE/NSE News, Stock Exchange News Today
