Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman officially started the last countdown for the Union Budget 2026 by attending the Halwa Ceremony today in the North Block basement. The Finance Minister, accompanied by Ministers of State for Finance and senior officials, stirred the large iron karahi, doling out the auspicious sweet to the faithful team behind India’s most significant financial document. This ceremony also becomes a send-off for officials involved in printing and compiling the Budget.
Why It Is Celebrated in a Halwa Ceremony?
The ritual is based on Indian tradition, where people would finish a piece of sweet before embarking on the largest monumental task in one’s life. It signifies three distinct points in the context of the Union Budget:
The Start of the ‘Lock-In’ Period
Just after the ceremony, over 100 officials and support personnel enter a period of complete isolation. In order to keep everything absolutely confidential and prevent any leaks that could move the market, these officials are “locked in” the basement of North Block.
Until the Finance Minister puts together the Budget for Parliament, they will have no interaction with the outside world, including their families.
Recognition of Silent Toil
The Budget is the product of months of painstakingly crunched data and policy debate. The Halwa Ceremony is a time for the leadership to praise those young and mid-level workers that are pulling around-the-clock work days before the presentation.
Tradition Meets Technology
And while the Budget has gone paperless in recent years (the Finance Minister is now holding a digital tablet instead of a standard leather briefcase), the Halwa Ceremony is still a traditional one. While massive volumes of physical printing have diminished, the secrecy of digital files remains strictly imposed.
Budget 2026: What Comes Next?
Now that the Halwa Ceremony is over, the Finance Ministry is in its most sensitive hour. All communication from the North Block is tracked, and mobile phone jammers are operating. Now investors and citizens are turning their attention to February 1, 2026, when Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget.
Some of the key expectations for this year are:
- Policies to Help Address the Fiscal De-Fraying: Redressing the fiscal deficit.
- Tax Reforms: Possible adjustments to the New Tax Regime to encourage middle-class spending.
- Capital Expenditure: Persistent emphasis on infrastructure to help realise the vision of "Viksit Bharat."
Quick Facts: The Halwa Tradition
- Location: The dedicated printing press in the basement of North Block in New Delhi.
- Participants: Finance Minister; Secretaries of Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs; the Budget Press staff.
- Secrecy: The building is highly secure allowing only the Finance Minister to leave and keeping others inside for almost 10 days.
