Budget 2025: Halwa Ceremony to be held Today; Marking lock-in of Budget Documents

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will attend the halwa ceremony on January 24, marking the final phase of preparation for the Union Budget, which will be presented on February 1.

Sweet dishes have a deep cultural importance in India and are considered auspicious for any occasion.

The Halwa ceremony, a longstanding tradition, involves preparing and serving halwa, a popular Indian sweet, to the entire budget team.

Every year before the Budget, the finance minister ritualistically stirs the traditional sweet dish halwa in a big kadhai (wok) at Delhi’s North Block. It is then served to ministry officials and staff members involved in budget preparation.
Aside from its cultural significance, this ceremony marks the start of the budget ‘lock-in’ phase at the finance ministry.

During this time, all officials and staff directly involved in the budget preparation must remain on ministry premises until the budget is introduced in Parliament. Their phone calls, too, are monitored. They are not allowed to leave and are continually monitored by CCTV cameras and the Intelligence Bureau.

The halwa ceremony dates back to a budget leak in 1950. During that period, the budget was printed at Rashtrapati Bhavan. In 1950, a significant chunk of the budget was leaked during the printing process. Following claims of favouritism, the then-finance minister, John Mathai, resigned shortly after presenting the Budget.

Following the leak, the budget was printed at a government press on the capital’s Minto Road. Shortly after, the “lock-in” period was implemented.

Though the exact year in which the halwa ceremony was introduced is unknown, it is thought to have started around these times.

Sitharaman will present her eighth consecutive budget on February 1, which is the highest by any finance minister. The budget session of parliament will begin on January 31 and will end on April 4, according to schedule.