The government kick-started the printing of the interim Budget on Saturday with the traditional 'Halwa' ceremony in which the sweet dish was cooked and served to officials associated with printing the secret document in North Block.
The ceremony also marked the quarantine of officials associated with the preparation of the Budget document. The Budget press is situated in North Block, which houses all the officials in the period leading up to the presentation of Interim Budget.
"To maintain the secrecy of budget, there is a "lock-in" of the officials involved in making the Budget... These officers and staff gain touch with their near and dear ones only after the Budget is presented by the union finance minister in Parliament," the finance ministry said in a statement.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram will present the interim Budget, which is also called the vote-on-account, on February 17. The government cannot announce a full Budget because of elections due by May 2014. The interim Budget will allow the government to cover its expenditure beyond the current fiscal that ends on March 31, 2014.
The government cannot announce changes in direct taxes such as income or corporate tax, but can cut indirect taxes such as excise duty and service tax without Parliament's approval through a notification. In the past, both NDA and UPA governments have announced indirect tax cuts through vote-on-account.
Saugata Bhattacharya of Axis Bank told NDTV that the government does not have a huge leeway in putting up a Finance Bill, but it might try to change some tax rates.
(Also read: What to expect from the vote-on-account)
Mr Chidambaram has said that his vote-on-account will be short, between 12 and 18 pages, on which the government would prefer a debate.
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