The Halwa ceremony that marks the final stage of the Budget preparation process for Union Budget 2024-25, was held in New Delhi in the presence of Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary.
A customary Halwa ceremony is performed every year before the ‘lock-in’ process of officials involved in the Budget preparation begins. The Union Budget 2024-25 is to be presented on 23rd July, 2024.
Breaking away from the tradition of the customary `Halwa ceremony` before the commencement of the Budget Session of the Parliament, in 2022 sweets were provided to the core staff due to undergoing “lock-in” at their workplaces.
The move was deemed fit due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, keeping the health and safety concerns of people.
The halwa ceremony is celebrated to recognise the efforts of all the employees involved in the making of the country’s budget for the particular year. Finance Minister serves the sweet dish (halwa) to the officials of the ministry.
As per tradition, the Finance Minister would serve officials with bowls full of halwa at the North Block to thank his team for their hard work. Everyone directly related to the Budget making process receives a bite of the dessert usually prepared in a large vessel.
Traditionally, once the event is over, top officials and employees engaged in the printing and budget-making process are supposed to stay back at the basement of the Finance Ministry headquarters till the time the budget is finally presented by the minister.
The step is taken to ensure that not a word about the budget goes out in public till the due time. All the officials and support staff remain cut off from their friends and families in the time period between the halwa ceremony and budget presentation. A few top officials, however, are allowed to leave the place.
