They will emerge only after the finance minister completes her Budget speech in the Lok Sabha on February 1. It is considered a gesture of appreciation for those who have worked in the preparation of the Budget.
A picture of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman distributing halwa to the members of the ministry is making rounds on the internet.
After the picture went viral a lot of memes were circulated using the picture. However, the picture is taken during an age-old annual ritual being celebrated i.e the ‘Halwa ceremony.’
What is the ‘Halwa’ ceremony?
The ceremony is a kind of a ‘send-off’ for finance ministry officials and staff involved with the preparation of the Union government’s annual financial budget.
They enter what is called a ‘lock-in’ period, during which they stay in the basement of North Block, cut off from the world outside with a view to maintaining the secrecy around the final budget document, this year the ceremony took place on the 26th of January, reported outlook India.
They will emerge only after the finance minister completes her Budget speech in the Lok Sabha on February 1. It is considered a gesture of appreciation for those who have worked in the preparation of the Budget.
The basement of North Block houses a printing press that was traditionally used to print budget documents for 40 years from 1980 to 2020. Since then, the budget went digital with bare minimum documents printed and the bulk distribution happening via mobile app or on the website.
Going digital also meant that the lock-in period was cut short to five days which was initially of two weeks.
What happens at the ‘Halwa’ ceremony?
The finance minister stirs ‘halwa’ in a ‘kadhai’ (large metal pot or cauldron) to commence the ceremony before serving the sweets to his/her colleagues.
Last year the ceremony was curtailed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the staff was served sweets instead.
Union Budget Mobile App:
The Budget 2023 is going to be presented in paperless mode, just like the previous two years. After the FM’s address, all her announcements will be made available on the Union Budget Mobile App. The information is categorized under various sections. The application can be installed from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store
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