Union Budget 2023 Latest News: Less than a week from now, the Modi government will present its last full Union Budget on 1 February 2023. With frantic preparations in full swing at the Finance Ministry, FM Nirmala Sitharaman took part in the traditional ‘halwa ceremony’ along with the top official on Thursday. Dressed in a subtle yellow saree with green border, Sitharaman stirred the halwa with steel ‘kadhachi’ to mark the beginning of the auspicious ceremony. The custom has been part of the Budget tradition for decades.
What happens after the halwa ceremony?
The halwa ceremony is not just an occasion of finance ministry officials sharing sumptuous serving of the sweet dish. It also is the moment when the ministry located in the North Block goes into the ‘lock-in’ period. This essentially means starting from today, all the officials involved in the Budget preparations will stay at the North Block. This is done to make sure that the secrecy of the Union Budget is maintained to avoid any unwarranted leak of the critical information.
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When will the lock-in period end?
The moment Sitharaman tables the Union Budget in Parliament, the lock-in period will conclude.
It’s a paperless budget again, will it be available online?
Yes, the Modi government has said that the Union Budget will be made online soon after Sitharaman’s speech concludes in Parliament.
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So how can I download Budget documents?
There are as many as 14 key Budget documents that will be made online this year. One can download ‘Union Budget Mobile App’ to check all the Budget documents as they are uploaded with realtime information. The app will have information in both English and Hindi and will be available for both Android and iOS users.
What’s the link for the Union Budget Mobile App?
The app can be downloaded from the official web portal of the Government of India. The link is – http://www.indiabudget.gov.in. One should note that all the documents will be uploaded online only after the Budget speech ends.