India's Ministry of Finance today held its traditional annual “halwa ceremony” to begin the lock-in period and mark the final stage of budget preparation. The union budget will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Feb. 1 in Parliament.
In photographs shared by the ministry and a video shared by news agency ANI, Sitharaman is seen eating the halwa, a confection eaten to mark an auspicious day, along with Anurag Singh Thakur, minister of state for finance and corporate affairs, and other senior officials.
#WATCH | 'Halwa Ceremony' held at Finance Ministry in Delhi to mark the beginning of printing of documents relating to Union Budget 2021-22. pic.twitter.com/a8rv20OhYt
January 23, 2021Usually, the halwa ceremony marks the budget papers going to print. But this year, for the first time, the budget will be delivered paperless to the members of the parliament. The ministry also launched a mobile app that will give MPs and public access to budget documents.
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