- Traditional Halwa Ceremony Marks Official Start of Final Budget Preparations
- FM Sitharaman Reviews Press Preparations Ahead of Feb 1 Budget Presentation
- Lock-In Period Begins as Confidential Printing of Budget Documents Gets Underway
- Digital Access to Budget Papers to Be Enabled via Bilingual Union Budget App
NE BUSINESS BUREAU
NEW DELHI, JAN 27
The Halwa Ceremony, a time-honoured ritual signalling the commencement of the final stage of Union Budget preparation, was held on Tuesday at the Budget Press in North Block, New Delhi, in the presence of Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Union Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary. The ceremony precedes the formal lock-in period of officials involved in preparing the Union Budget 2026-27, scheduled for presentation in Parliament on 1st February 2026.
The Halwa Ceremony is a symbolic and operational milestone in India’s budget-making process. Traditionally held roughly a week before the Budget is tabled, it involves the preparation and serving of the Indian sweet dish halwa to officials and staff who have been involved in drafting and finalising the Budget. Finance Ministry personnel ritually participate in the event, which signals that the policy decisions, financial numbers and allocations have been finalised and that the focus now shifts to printing and secure handling of Budget documents.
Following the ceremony, a strict ‘lock-in’ period begins, during which senior officials and staff — including those directly involved with Budget preparation — remain confined within the Finance Ministry premises. During this period, access to external communication is limited, and personnel stay inside the North Block to ensure that details of the Budget remain confidential and free from leaks until the official presentation in Parliament.
As part of the event, FM Sitharaman also inspected the Budget Press and extended her best wishes to the entire Budget team. The finance ministry has also announced that all Budget documents — including the Annual Financial Statement, Demand for Grants and Finance Bill — will be made available digitally on the Union Budget Mobile App in both English and Hindi after the Budget speech on 1st February 2026.
The Halwa Ceremony not only honours the collective effort of months of preparation but also officially marks the transition from planning to execution and secure dissemination of the Union Budget — a cornerstone of India’s fiscal and economic policy calendar.
