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Finances 2024: The “Halwa Ceremony” is a conventional pre-budget occasion in India that’s carried out yearly earlier than the “lock-in” strategy of the funds. It marks the formal graduation of the printing course of for varied paperwork associated to the funds. The ceremony is a major step in finalising the in depth budget-making course of that spans a number of months.
Throughout the ceremony, which has been a longstanding custom, a big wok (kadhai) is used to arrange halwa, a well-liked Indian dessert. The Finance Minister performs a central position within the ceremony by stirring the kadhai and serving the candy dish to officers and employees from the Finance Ministry.
The Halwa Ceremony is performed within the basement of the North Block of the Finance Ministry in Central Delhi, the place a specialised printing press is located. This occasion holds explicit significance in sustaining secrecy and stopping any leaks associated to the funds earlier than its official presentation.
To make sure the utmost confidentiality, the North Block basement is remodeled right into a extremely safe space resembling a fortress. Roughly 100 officers and employees members instantly concerned within the budget-making or printing course of are remoted from the surface world till the funds is formally offered. Stringent measures embrace round the clock surveillance by the Intelligence Bureau, no direct contact with relations, supervised telephone calls in case of emergencies, a sturdy community of CCTVs, digital jammers to forestall data leaks, foolproof cybersecurity, and restricted cell phone utilization, even for high-ranking officers, contained in the basement.
The custom of the Halwa Ceremony dates again to 1950, and it underwent adjustments within the printing places to boost safety and confidentiality. Following a funds leak in 1950, the printing press was relocated from Rashtrapati Bhavan to Minto Highway and later to the North Block basement, which has been the everlasting printing press location since 1980.
READ MORE: Finances 2024: Key variations between interim and common funds
READ MORE: Finances 2024: Key phrases it is best to know earlier than the announcement
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