Halwa ceremony held at North Block as preparations near completion

New Delhi: Union Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday participated in the traditional Halwa Ceremony, marking the start of the final phase of preparations for the Union Budget 2026–27, scheduled to be presented on February 1. The ceremony was held at the Budget Press in North Block, New Delhi.

At the ceremony, Sitharaman was accompanied by Secretaries of all departments under the Ministry of Finance and senior officials associated with the Budget-making process. Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary was also present. As part of the event, the Finance Minister toured the Budget Press, reviewed preparations and extended her best wishes to the entire Budget team.

"All Union Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill will also be available on the ‘Union Budget Mobile App’ for hassle-free access of Budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public in a digital accessible mode," a Finance ministry release said.

The documents will be accessible on the mobile app and the official website after the completion of the Budget Speech by the Finance Minister in Parliament, it added.