IANS | 24 Jan, 2024
The Halwa ceremony, marking the final stage of the preparation
process for Interim Union Budget 2024, was held in North Block on
Wednesday in the presence of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and
Minister of State for Finance Dr. Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad.
The
customary Halwa ceremony is performed every year before the “lock-in”
process of Budget preparation begins after which officials associated
with the budget making exercise are not allowed to leave North Block.
Like
the previous three full Union Budgets, the Interim Union Budget 2024
will also be delivered in paperless form. It is to be presented on
February 1, the Finance Ministry said.
All the Union Budget
documents, including the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as
Budget), Demand for Grants, Finance Bill etc. as prescribed by the
Constitution, will be available on the “Union Budget Mobile App” for
easy access of Budget documents by MPs and the general public, according
to a Finance Ministry statement.
The documents will be published
both in 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 after the completion of the Budget Speech by
the Union Finance Minister in Parliament on February 1.
At the
halwa ceremony, the Finance Minister was also accompanied by senior
officials including Finance Secretary & Secretary, Expenditure, T.V.
Somanathan, Secretary, Economic Affairs, Ajay Seth, Secretary, DIPAM
Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Secretary, Revenue, Sanjay Malhotra, Chairman,
Central Board for Direct Taxes (CBDT), Nitin Gupta, and Chairman,
Central Board for Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Sanjay Kumar
Agarwal.
As part of the ceremony, the Union Finance Minister also
took a round of the Budget Press and reviewed the preparations besides
extending her best wishes to the officials concerned.