Govt holds customary halwa ceremony to mark final stage of budget preparation

New Delhi: The Central Government organised the customary halwa ceremony, which marks the final stage of the budget preparation process for the Interim Union Budget 2024.

The ceremony was held in North Block in the presence of Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of State for Finance Dr. Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad, and other officials of the Ministry, the Finance Ministry said in a statement here.

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

“Like the previous three full Union Budgets, the Interim Union Budget 2024 will also be delivered in paperless form. The Interim Union Budget 2024 is to be presented on February 1, 2024,” the Ministry said.

“All the Union Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as the Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill, etc., as prescribed by the Constitution, will be 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 and Hindi) and will be available on both Android and iOS platforms, the ministry said.

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#WATCH | Delhi | The Halwa ceremony, marking the final stage of the Budget preparation process for Interim Union Budget 2024, was held in North Block, today, in the presence of Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of State for Finance… pic.twitter.com/wjoyI5QqQ3

— ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2024 >

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 Union Finance Minister in Parliament on February 1, 2024, the Ministry further said.