Finance Minister takes part in customary halwa ceremony; marks final stage of Budget preparation

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman participates in traditional 'halwa' ceremony marking final stage of Union Budget 2025-26 preparation.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday (January 24, 2025) participated in a traditional ‘halwa’ ceremony, marking the final stage for the preparation of Union Budget 2025-26 to be unveiled on February 1 in the Lok Sabha.

The ceremony is a customary ritual in which traditional dessert ‘halwa’ is prepared and served to officials and staff members of the Finance Ministry who are involved in the preparation of the budget.

It is organised in the basement of North Block, which houses the ministry in the national capital and is attended by the Finance Minister and other high-ranking officials.

According to sources, the Finance Minister participated in the ceremony and also took a round of the Budget Press and reviewed the preparations besides extending her best wishes to the officials concerned.

Ms. Sitharaman is going to present Budget 2025-26, the eighth straight budget in a row, on the backdrop of GDP growth moderating to 6.4% in the financial year as against 8.2% recorded in the previous fiscal.

Like the previous four full Union Budgets and one Interim, the full Union Budget 2025-26 will also be delivered in paperless form.

All the Union Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill etc. as prescribed by the Constitution, will be available on the 'Union Budget Mobile App' for hassle-free access to Budget.