Budget 2022: Sweets distributed in FinMin, core staff to undergo lock-in

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman will present the Union Budget on February 1, 2022.

Finance Minister distributing halwa during the Halwa Ceremony last year.

New Delhi: Sweets were distributed in the Finance Ministry on Thursday (January 27) to mark the Halwa Ceremony before Budget 2022. For the unversed, the Halwa Ceremony marks the final stage of the Union Budget making process. 

In the pre-Covid times, India’s Finance Minister, every year, used to serve halwa prepared in a large vessel to the staff involved in the making of the Budget. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic fears, the ministry decided to distribute sweets instead. 

Following the Halwa ceremony, core staff will undergo lock-in at their workplaces. The step is taken to maintain the secrecy of the Union Budget. From the day Halwa Ceremony is celebrated till the presentation on the Budget, the key staff will stay at Budget Press, situated inside North Block. 

Moreover, the officers and related staff members will come in contact with their near and dear ones only after the Budget is presented by the Union Finance Minister in the Parliament. They are not even allowed to use their smartphones. 

The Union Budget 2022-23 will to presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1st February 2022 in paperless form. The Union Budget 2022-23 will also be made available on the mobile application once the Budget presentation process is completed on 1st February 2022. 

Using the mobile app, users can get access to 14 Union Budget documents, including the Budget Speech, Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill etc. as prescribed by the Constitution. Also Read: US economy grew 5.7% in 2021 in a rebound from the 2020 recession

The mobile app is available in English and Hindi and can be downloaded on both Android and iOS platforms. Users can download the App from the official Union Budget Web Portal (www.indiabudget.gov.in). Also Read: Union Budget 2022 goes green, to be presented on February 1 in paperless form