NEW DELHI: Kickstarting the countdown towards Union Budget 2023-24, the ministry of financing on Thursday conducted its customary Halwa ceremony in existence of financing minister Nirmala Sitharaman to mark the beginning of collection of budget plan documents.The ceremony was performed today after in the North Block, the government stated in an official release.

It was participated in by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, ministers of state (MoS) financing Pankaj Chaudhary and Dr Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad.

A customary Halwa ceremony is performed every year prior to the lock-in process of Budget preparation begins.Like the previous two Union Budgets, Union Budget 2023-24 will also be delivered in paperless kind, the release said.

Finance secretary TV Somanathan, economic affairs secretary Ajay Seth, secretary of Dipam Tuhin Kanta Pandey, revenue secretary Sanjay Malhotra, chief economic consultant (CEA) Anantha V Nageswaran, CBIC chairman Vivek Johri, and others officers and staff of the ministry of finance, associated with spending plan preparation and compilation procedure, were likewise present on the occasion.

As part of the event, the Sitharaman also took a trip of the Budget Press and reviewed the preparations besides extending her best wishes to the authorities worried, the release said.What is halwa ceremonyAs part of the Budget making ritual, halwa is prepared in a big kadhai (big frying pot) and served to the entire personnel in the financing ministry.The significance of the sweet dish is that after it is served, a large number of officials and support staff-- who are directly associated with the Budget making and printing process-- are needed to stay in the ministry.Who all participate in the ceremonyThe event is attended by the financing minister, secretaries in the ministry, officers of the Budget department and the two tax wings and staff members, who are locked inside the Budget press till the speech is finished.

They do not even have access to their member of the family.

Green budgetContinuing the custom of presenting the budget in paperless type, Nirmala Sitharamans 5th budget plan on February 1 will likewise be a green one.

All the 14 Union Budget documents, consisting of the Annual Financial Statement (typically called Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill etc as recommended by the Constitution, will readily available on the Union Budget Mobile App for hassle-free access of Budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public utilizing the most basic type of digital convenience.In a historic relocation, the Union Budget of 2021-22 was delivered in paperless type for the very first time.

In 2021, financing minister Nirmala Sitharaman read her spending plan speech from a portable tablet.

She concerned Parliament bring the gadget inside the red-coloured bahi-khata fabric.

WatchWatch: Nirmala Sitharaman carries out Halwa event ahead of Union Budget 2023-24