‘Halwa Ceremony’ (file photo)Image Credit source: PTI
An interim budget is to be presented in the country this year. This will be the first interim budget of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, which she will present only on February 1, 2024. But do you know that just before the budget, there is a ‘Halwa Ceremony’, which was once canceled by Nirmala herself. After all, what is this ‘Halwa Ceremony’ and why Nirmala had canceled it.
‘Halwa Ceremony’ has been a tradition associated with the budget for decades. In this tradition, before the printing of the budget, a big pan of ‘halwa’ is distributed among the budget making officials in the Finance Ministry. During this time, the Finance Minister himself celebrates it symbolically by taking out halwa from the pan.
What is the meaning of ‘Halwa Ceremony’?
‘Halwa Ceremony’ marks the official start of budget printing. From this day onwards, there is such security in the Finance Ministry that ‘even birds cannot kill’. The reason for this is to maintain the secrecy of the budget. This is also the beginning of the ‘lock-in’ period of the budget making officials.
read this also
Yes, to protect the budget and prevent leakage of any kind of information, officials of the Finance Ministry as well as some officials of the Law Ministry, CBDT, CBIC and PIB remain ‘quarantined’ in North Block for about 10 days. . During this period, he neither goes home nor contacts his relatives and family.
Even if he has to talk to his family or anyone in an emergency, his call is completely under the surveillance of the ‘Intelligence Bureau’. All these officers come out of North Block, which is the office of the Finance Ministry, only after the Finance Minister presents the budget. There is also a press here to print the budget.
When Nirmala canceled ‘Halwa Ceremony’
There came a time when Nirmala Sitharaman was the Finance Minister when the ‘Halwa Ceremony’ to be held along with the budget was cancelled. This happened before the budget of 2022. In view of the increasing cases of Corona in the country, that year the Finance Ministry had distributed sweets among the officials instead of holding ‘Halwa Ceremony’.
Source: www.tv9hindi.com
: Language Inputs