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The traditional ‘halwa’ ceremony, marking the final phase of preparation for the Union Budget 2025-26, took place at North Block on Friday. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, and senior officials were present for the event.
This ceremony signifies the last step before the Union Budget 2025-26 is presented on February 1 in the Lok Sabha. The ritual involves the preparation and serving of the traditional dessert, ‘halwa,’ to the officials and staff members of the finance ministry who are directly involved in crafting the budget.
The halwa ceremony serves as a kind of ‘send-off’ for the finance ministry team, as they enter a ‘lock-in’ period. During this time, they remain secluded in the basement of North Block, cut off from external contact to preserve the confidentiality of the final budget document.
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