Customary halwa ceremony held to mark final stage of budget preparation

The ceremony was held in North Block in the presence of Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad, and other officials of the Finance Ministry, according to a statement.

A customary Halwa ceremony is performed every year before the “lock-in” process of budget preparation begins.

“Like the previous three full Union Budgets, the Interim Union Budget 2024 will also be delivered in paperless form. The Interim Union Budget 2024 is to be presented on February 1, 2024,” the ministry said.

“All the Union Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as the Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill, etc., as prescribed by the Constitution, will be available on the 'Union Budget Mobile App' for hassle-free access of budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public using the simplest form of digital convenience. It is bilingual (English and Hindi) and will be available on both Android and iOS platforms," the ministry said.

The app can also be downloaded from the Union Budget Web Portal (www.indiabudget.gov.in).

The budget documents will be available on the mobile app after the completion of the budget speech by the Union Finance Minister in Parliament on February 1, 2024, the ministry further said.

(With UNI inputs)