Budget preparation enters final leg with halwa ceremony

New Delhi: The preparation for 2026-27 Budget entered the final phase with the traditional “halwa” ceremony at North Block, home to the finance ministry. The documents are being printed at the Budget Press at North Block.

The finance ministry has moved to its new office block in Kartavya Bhawan.The “halwa” ceremony marks the final stage of the budget preparation process after which staff go for “lock in” to preserve secrecy of the documents that go into print. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman was present at the ceremony, along with junior finance minister Pankaj Chaudhary and key officials involved in the mammoth exercise.The Budget for 2026-27 will be presented on Feb 1, which is a Sunday.

This is probably the first time in recent years the budget is being presented on a Sunday. For Sitharaman, the ninth consecutive budget is a record. Morarji Desai had presented 10 budgets in two stints.As part of the ceremony, Sitharaman took a tour of Budget Press and reviewed the preparations, besides extending her best wishes to the entire budget team.The 2026-27 Budget comes against the backdrop of several global challenges and geopolitical tensions and there are expectations that it will unleash several reform measures to shield the economy from the global storm.

The economy is projected to grow at a healthy clip of 7.4% in the current fiscal year and retain the tag of the fastest growing major economy. The budget documents will be available on digital mode.The finance ministry said the annual financial statement, commonly known as budget, demand for grants (DG), the finance bill and other reports will also be available on the “Union Budget Mobile App” for hassle-free access. The app is bilingual (English & Hindi) and will be available on both Android and iOS platforms. The app can also be downloaded from the Union Budget Web Portal (www.indiabudget.gov.in).The budget documents will be available on the mobile app and the website after the completion of the speech by Sitharaman on Feb 1.