Customary 'Halwa' Ceremony Held in Presence of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

The customary 'Halwa' ceremony, which is performed every year, before the 'lock-in' process of the Budget preparation begins, was held in New Delhi on Wednesday. The ceremony was held in the presence of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

New Delhi: The 'Halwa' ceremony, marking the final stage of the Budget preparation process for 2024 Interim Union Budget 2024, was held here on Wednesday in the presence of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of State for Finance Dr. Bhagwat Karad.

A customary Halwa ceremony is performed every year before the "lock-in" process of Budget preparation begins. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance, as part of the ceremony, the Union Finance Minister also took a round of the Budget Press and reviewed the preparations,

"Like the previous three full Union Budgets, Interim Union Budget 2024 will also be delivered in paperless form. The Interim Union Budget 2024 is to be presented on February 1," the statement added.

All the Union Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill will available on the 'Union Budget Mobile App' for hassle-free access of Budget documents by MPs and the general public using the simplest form of digital convenience.

At the Halwa Ceremony, Sitharaman was also accompanied by Finance Secretary Dr. T V Somanathan, Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth and other senior officers of the Finance Ministry.

As the country will go to Lok Sabha polls later this year and the term of the present Narendra Modi-led regime ends in May, Sitharaman will present an Interim Union Budget.