Will the Union Budget be as sweet as the halwa, Nirmalaji?

July 16, 2024 20:16

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday participated in a traditional 'halwa' ceremony, marking the final stage for preparation of Union Budget 2024-25 to be unveiled on July 23 in Lok Sabha.

The 'halwa' ceremony is a ritual in which the traditional dessert is prepared and served to officials and staff members of the finance ministry who are involved in the preparation of the budget.

It is organised in the basement of North Block, which houses the ministry in the national capital and is attended by the finance minister and other high-ranking officials.

"The final stage of the Budget preparation process for Union Budget 2024-25 commenced with the customary halwa ceremony in the presence of Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. @nsitharaman, in New Delhi, today," the finance ministry said in a post on X.

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

Like the previous three full Union Budgets and one Interim, the full Union Budget 2024-25 will also be delivered in paperless form.

All the 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 be available on the "Union Budget Mobile App" for hassle-free access to the Budget.

Besides Sitharaman, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary and other senior officials, including Finance Secretary T V Somanathan, Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth, and Financial Services Secretary Vivek Joshi were present at the ceremony.

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