Budget 2026: No printing press yet at new complex, Budget documents to be printed at North Block

The printing of the Union Budget 2026 will take place in North Block, even though the finance ministry has shifted to the new Central Secretariat complex at Kartavya Bhawan, news agency PTI reported on Thursday.

The decision is driven by logistics as the new finance ministry offices do not yet have a secure in-house printing press required for the highly confidential Budget exercise. As a result, the printing of Budget documents will continue at the dedicated press housed in the basement of North Block on Raisina Hill.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and most senior officers moved to Kartavya Bhawan in September 2025. However, unlike North Block, the new complex does not currently have a printing facility shielded from public access, making it unsuitable for Budget printing this year.

Sources told the news agency that the printing of several hundred copies of the voluminous Budget documents is expected to begin shortly. Once the process starts, access to officials involved in Budget preparation and printing will be restricted in keeping with established confidentiality protocols.

Ahead of the printing exercise, the traditional 'halwa' ceremony - which marks the start of the quarantine period for staff engaged in Budget printing - is expected to take place next week at the North Block press.

The printing process is an elaborate operation that requires staff to remain confined within the press premises for up to two weeks to prevent leaks.

The location of Budget printing has changed over time, usually in response to security concerns. Budget documents were initially printed at Rashtrapati Bhavan, before being shifted to a press on Minto Road in 1950 after a leak. In 1980, the printing was moved to North Block.

The Union Budget 2026-27 is scheduled to be presented in the Lok Sabha on February 1. Sitharaman will present her ninth consecutive Budget.

While the Budget went paperless in 2021, when documents were distributed electronically and read out from a tablet, limited physical printing continues for official purposes.

(With inputs from PTI)