The Finance Ministry launched the formal printing of documents relating to the Union Budget 2018-2019 after the traditional Halwa ceremony…
Fiance Minister Arun Jaitley participating in Halwa ceremony, which formally begins the Union Budget printing process. (Photo: Twitter)
The Finance Ministry launched the formal printing of documents relating to the Union Budget 2018-2019 after the traditional Halwa ceremony was conducted at North Block in New Delhi on Saturday.
The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley performed the symbolic Halwa ceremony along with Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla, Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg and other senior officials.
#IndiaBudget2018 The Union Finance Minister, Shri @arunjaitley at the Halwa Ceremony with MoS(Finance), Shri @BJPShivPShukla & Senior Officers at North Block in New Delhi today and thereby launching the formal printing of different documents relating to the Union Budget 2018-19. pic.twitter.com/Cq4zxgvSVS
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— Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) January 20, 2018
The Halwa ceremony is an interesting Budget tradition. In the ceremony the Finance Minister of India is photographed stirring a huge kadhai with the simmering sweet. This ceremony marks the process of printing documents for the Budget. Halwa, an Indian dessert is prepared in a big kadhai and served to all finance ministry officials.
After the sweets are served, the officials who are tasked with printing of Union Budget are locked up in a basement in North Block. In 1980, the basement of the North Block was allocated as the space for printing the Budget.
Officials entrusted with printing of the Union Budget are lodged in the North Block building’s basement for at least 10 days along with all the necessary arrangements.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will announce the Union Budget on 1 February and will deliver his 5th consecutive Budget.
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