Image: Zee News
After the 2024 elections, the new government is all set to present the government’s budget on July 23.
Nirmala Sitaraman will present the budget for the seventh consecutive time.
‘Halwa’ is a traditional Indian sweet dish made mostly with granulated wheat.
Before the presentation of the budget, a halwa ceremony is conducted a day before in which a sweet dish (Halwa) is prepared.
The Finance Minister herself stirs the ‘Kadhai’ in which the halwa is prepared and is seen as the beginning of printing the budget documents.
It serves to raise awareness in public about the upcoming budget and serves as the beginning of a budget process involving calculation, documentation and consulting among various stakeholders.
As soon as the ceremony is concluded, there is a strict lockdown in the finance ministry. No official involved in the budget making is allowed to leave the premises.
The Halwa Ceremony has been celebrated since 1950 after the budget leak when John Matthai served as a Finance Minister. He resigned after the incident.