edited by: Namit Singh Sengar
Last Update: January 10, 2023, 10:12 AM IST
Halwa ceremony ahead of Union Budget 2021 (Image: Twitter/Ministry of Finance)
Budget 2023 Halwa Ceremony: The Finance Minister mixed it in the dessert and served it to his colleagues. The dish is distributed to each staff member and the ceremony recognizes and appreciates the efforts of those who have been part of the budget-making process.
A popular chocolate brand has come up with the tagline ‘Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye’ to celebrate the auspicious occasion. We may wonder what is the relevance of that jingle to the Union Budget making process. Well, for Indians, celebration has to do with eating something ‘mitha’ (sweet) and the same holds true for our annual account statement process as well as for those involved in that mammoth task. That is the ‘halwa’ ceremony.
There is an occasion celebrated by the Ministry of Finance, called the Halwa ceremony, which marks the beginning of the budget printing process. It is held at North Block in the national capital in the presence of the Finance Minister and all those who are part of the process.
The government follows this annual tradition of organizing the Halwa ceremony every year a few days before the budget is presented in the Parliament. As part of the ritual, ‘halwa’ (a sweet dish) is prepared in a traditional ‘kadhai’ (large pan) and served to the entire staff involved in the budget-making exercise for the country.
The Finance Minister runs the dessert and serves it to colleagues. The dish is distributed to each staff member and the ceremony recognizes and appreciates the efforts of those who have been a part of the process.
However, no such ceremony took place in 2022.
Halwa Ceremony Budget 2023: Why there was no Halwa ceremony in 2022
Last year, the government had said that to mark the final phase of the Union budget-making process, sweets were provided to key employees instead of a customary halwa ceremony in view of the prevailing pandemic as key employees were “locked-in” at their workplaces. . condition and the need to follow health safety protocols.
Budget 2023: What is the ‘lock-in’ in the budget making process?
To maintain the secrecy of the budget, there is a “lock-in” of the officials involved in making the budget. The Budget Press, located inside the North Block, houses all the officials leading up to the presentation of the Union Budget. These officers and employees come in contact with their near and dear ones only after the Union Finance Minister presents the budget in the Parliament.
Moreover, the Budget 2023 is expected to be presented in the Parliament on February 01 by the Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman.
In a historic move last year, the Union Budget for 2021-22 was presented paperless for the first time. A ‘Union Budget Mobile App’ was also launched for hassle-free access to budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and general public.
Read also: Tracing Union Budget History, From 1860 to 2023
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