The customary halwa ceremony, which marks the process of printing documents for the Union Budget 2021, was hosted by the Finance Ministry on Saturday at 3.30 pm ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1.
The event was attended by Finance Ministry Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur.
Delhi: 'Halwa Ceremony' being held at Finance Ministry to mark the beginning of printing of documents relating to Union Budget 2021-22. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur are present. pic.twitter.com/Fj7azBd87Z
— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2021
The halwa making ceremony is held every year by the government to kick off the budget session, following which those officials involved in the budget-making are shifted to the basement of the North Block for a period of 10 days. The ceremony, apart from ushering in the Budget session, is also held to laud the efforts of the officials putting in their hours of hard work behind creating the union budget every year.
Also read: Nirmala Sitharaman Holds Pre-Budget Meeting with State Finance Ministers
“They will only emerge once the Finance Minister presents the Budget in Parliament. This is done to prevent any leaks before the annual Budget is presented,” one of the officials in the ministry told ANI.
On Tuesday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said the first part of the Budget Session will start on January 29 and continue till February 15, and the second part of the session will be held from March 8 to April 8.
However, due to the onset of Covid-19, there will be no printing of the Budget this year. There will also be no printing of the economic survey which is going to the tabled in the Parliament on January 29. Members of Parliament have also been requested to undergo an RT-PCR test against COVID-19 ahead of the session.
As part of pre-Budget deliberations, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday held a meeting with state finance ministers who suggested steps to revive growth and boost revenue collection against the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis. The Finance Ministry in a statement said the meeting was held through video conference and was attended by chief ministers, deputy chief ministers, finance ministers, ministers, and senior officers from the states and Union Territories and the Union Government.
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