As is the custom, Nirmala Sitharaman stirred the halwa before serving it to the officials.
The traditional 'halwa' ceremony, marking the final stage of the preparation process for Union Budget 2024, was held this evening at the Union Finance Ministry headquarters at North Block in Delhi. Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was seen unwrapping a huge iron wok which had halwa in it and distributing it to the officials of the ministry. Minister of State Pankaj Chaudhary, and secretaries, officers and staff involved in the Budget preparation and compilation process were also present on the occasion.
It is a customary event held about a week before the "lock-in" process of Budget preparation begins.
During the ceremony, a large batch of halwa is prepared in the Ministry of Finance kitchen. As is the custom, Ms Sitharaman stirred the halwa before serving it to the officials.
The Indian dessert is served to all those who are directly associated with the Budget-making process, as per the ceremony. The officials are then required to stay in the Finance Ministry till the Finance Minister finally presents the Budget.
The lock-in process is observed to maintain the secrecy of the upcoming budget and prevent any leaks before it is finally presented in the Parliament. The budget is only printed after receiving approval from the Prime Minister. The Intelligence Bureau chief conducts surprise visits to the printing press area in the basement of North Block to ensure the secrecy of the process.
The 'halwa' ritual has been followed for decades and is inspired by the Indian tradition of eating something sweet before starting something important or special. It is also a gesture to acknowledge the efforts of all those involved in preparing the Budget.
The Budget session of parliament will begin on July 22 and will end on August 12.
With the upcoming Budget Presentation, Ms Sitharaman will surpass the record set by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, who presented five annual budgets and one interim budget between 1959 and 1964 as finance minister. Ms Sitharaman's upcoming Budget speech would be her sixth.