Halwa ceremony marks printing of Budget documents
A Halwa ceremony marked the commencement of Budget printing process for Union Budget 2020-21 today. The tradition was performed at North Block in the presence of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Union Budget 2020-21 will be presented on February 1, 2020.
To maintain the secrecy of Budget, there is a “lock-in” of the officials involved in making the Budget. Budget Press, situated inside North Block, houses all officials in the period leading up to the presentation of the Union Budget. These officers and staff will come in contact with their near and dear ones only after the Budget is presented by the Union Finance Minister in Parliament.
At the Halwa Ceremony, Nirmala Sitharaman was accompanied by Union Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur; Rajeev Kumar, Finance Secretary; Atanu Chakraborty, Secretary, DEA; Dr A.B. Pandey, Revenue Secretary; Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Secretary, DIPAM; T.V. Somanathan, Secretary, Expenditure among other officers of the Ministry of Finance.
P.C. Mody, Chairman, CBDT; John Joseph, Chairman, CBIC; Members of CBDT & CBIC; Rajat Mishra, Joint Secretary (Budget), besides others officers and staff of the Ministry of Finance, involved in the Budget preparation and printing process were also present on the occasion. Later, the Finance Minister took a round of the Press and acquainted herself about the Budget printing process.
