Printing process for Union General Budget 2020-21 commences with Halwa Ceremony

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The ‘Halwa Ceremony’ marking the commencement of Budget printing process for Union General Budget 2020-21, was held here in North Block on January 20, 2020, morning, in the presence of the Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Union General Budget 2020-21 is to be presented on February 1, 2020. To maintain the secrecy of Budget, there is a “lock-in” of the officials involved in making the Budget. 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 come in contact with their near and dear ones only after the Budget is presented by the Union Finance Minister in Parliament, according to a PIB release.

At the Halwa Ceremony, Sitharaman was accompanied by Union Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur; Rajeev Kumar, Finance Secretary;  Atanu Chakraborty, Secretary, DEA;  Dr A B Pandey, Revenue Secretary;  Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Secretary, DIPAM; T V Somanathan, Secretary, Expenditure, among other officers of the Ministry of Finance.

P C Mody, Chairman, CBDT; John Joseph, Chairman, CBIC; Members of CBDT & CBIC; Rajat Mishra, Joint Secretary (Budget), besides others officers and staff of the Ministry of Finance, involved in the Budget preparation and printing process were also present on the occasion. Later,, the Finance Minister took a round of the Press and acquainted herself with the Budget printing process.