The Halwa Ceremony was held at the Finance Ministry on January 26, 2023 to mark the beginning of printing for the Union Budget 2023-24. It was attended by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union MoS for Finance Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, and senior officials. During the ceremony, the Finance Minister also took a tour of the Budget Press and reviewed preparations.
Budget 2023-2024 : Third paperless Budget
- The Budget documents will be available in English and Hindi on the Union Budget Mobile App on both Android and Apple platforms after the Budget Speech.
- The Union Government will present the Budget on February 1, 2023.
- This year’s Budget will be the third paperless Budget presented in Parliament. The first paperless Budget was presented in 2021.
About Halwa Ceremony
The Halwa Ceremony is an age-old tradition that marks the beginning of the printing of Budget documents and signifies the end of the Budget-making process. It is held at the Finance Ministry ahead of the Union Budget presentation in the parliament. During the ceremony, a sweet dish called Halwa is served to the officials who are involved in the preparation of the Budget. The ceremony signifies that the officials will now be “locked” in the ministry, and will not be able to leave until the Budget is presented. It’s also a way to indicate that the budget making process is complete and the document is ready to be presented in the parliament.
