Budget 2022: Sitharaman to present 2nd paperless budget, no halwa ceremony

The Finance Ministry has announced that Union Budget 2022-23 will be presented in a paperless form for the second time on February 1, 2022, by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The presentation is scheduled to begin from 11 am.

The ministry, in an official statement, explained that this year, instead of the customary 'Halwa ceremony' to mark the final stage of Budget preparation, sweets were provided to the core staff who are due to undergo "lock-in" at their workplaces. Officials involved in making the Budget have to undergo a "lock-in" in order to maintain the secrecy of the financial document.

Halwa ceremony was not conducted this year in view of the prevailing pandemic situation and the need to observe health safety protocols, explained the ministry.

Further, Budget Press, situated inside North Block, houses all officials in the period leading up to the presentation of the Union Budget.  These officers and staff will be allowed to go home after the Budget is presented by the Union Finance Minister in the Parliament.

Last year, the Budget was delivered in a paperless form for the first time in the history of the country. A 'Union Budget Mobile App' was also launched for hassle-free access of Budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public.

The Union Budget 2022-23 would also be available on the app after the process of Budget presentation has been completed on February 1.

The mobile app allows complete access to 14 Union Budget documents, including the Budget Speech, Annual Financial Statement (Also known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill etc. as prescribed by the Constitution. The mobile app is bilingual (English & Hindi) and is available on both Android and iOS platforms.

The Union Budget Mobile App can be downloaded from the Union Budget web portal. The general public can also download Budget documents from here.

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