Union Budget 2023: Do you know what happens on Budget day? Here is the complete schedule of Finance Minister

On Wednesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 2023 to the Parliament. Here is the sneak peak into the customary routine of the FM.

Hyderabad: The Union Budget 2023 which has a direct bearing on the financial health of every individual in this country of over 140 crore Indians will be presented today at 11 am by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. There are certain procedures and approvals required for the FM to follow before she presents it to her fellow Parliamentarians. Here is what a typical Budget presentation day for an FM will be like.

The official day begins early for the Finance Minister at around 8.30 am. By custom, the Indian Finance Minister will depart from her residence or from the Finance Ministry's North Block for the final stampings on her proposed Budget from the President and from her Cabinet colleagues at around 8.30 am.

Till 1950, the Budget documents were printed at Rashtrapati Bhavan. It was later shifted to a press at Minto Road in New Delhi. From 1980 onwards, the Budget gets printed in the government press set up in the North Block. The shifting happened because the documents were leaked. As for now, the team involved in the printing and processing will remain locked until the Budget day. Before the "lock-in", the customary ‘Halwa’ ceremony will be performed. This year it was held on Jan. 26.

Before she departs from the North Block, a photo session for the whole team including the Finance Minister, the Minister for State and the entire Finance Ministry team involved in the Budget preparation will take place at around 9 am. It is likely to be over by 9.30 am.

The entourage of the Finance Minister will leave for Rashtrapati Bhavan right after this photo session, a little after 9.30 am. The FM will have to get the President Droupadi Murmu's nod to present the Budget. She will submit a copy of the Budget while seeking approval.

Around 10 am, Nirmala Sitharaman will reach Rashtrapati Bhavan where she will meet with Murmu, in a short meeting. Since it is not possible for the President to go through the entire Budget, a 'summary' prepared by the FM in consultation with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be submitted for approval. Murmu, upon reading the Union Budget 2023 summary, will approve it.

Once approved, Nirmala will head back to the Parliament to meet her Cabinet colleagues. She would present a similar summary to the Cabinet led by Modi. This happens around 10.15 am. After this, she would pose with the Budget alongside with the Prime Minister holding the copy of the Union Budget 2023. Whether she would prefer a digital tablet or a printed copy packed in an attractive Budget briefcase/bag remains to be seen.

At 11 am, the Finance Minister will present the Union Budget 2023 to the Parliament. Once she completes her presentation, the Budget documents will be uploaded online in the Finance Ministry website and will be disseminated by the Public Information Bureau. Later in the day, the Finance Minister will address a post-Budget conference at 3 pm.