Budget 2021: Sitharaman, Thakur hold annual Halwa ceremony

New Delhi, Jan 23: The annual tradition of hosting a halwa ceremony prior to the Budget was held today.

The tradition is held every year before the Budget is presented. The making of the halwa marks the official kick-off of the events. Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister for State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Thakur were also present.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair an all-party meeting on January 30 during which the government will put forth its legislative agenda for the Budget session of Parliament, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Wednesday.

He said the meeting will be held virtually and an invitation has been extended to floor leaders of all parties.

An all-party meeting is a customary procedure before the beginning of every session of Parliament to ensure its smooth functioning. However, this time it is being held a day after the session starts on January 29.

"The all-party meeting will be held on January 30, where government will put forth its legislative business for the Parliament session and would also listen to the opposition's suggestions," Joshi told PTI.

The Budget session of Parliament is starting from January 29 and will be held in two parts. The first part will conclude on February 15 and second part will be held from March 8 to April 8.

Parliament will sit in two shifts with Rajya Sabha in the morning and Lok Sabha in the evening. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting of top government officials for holding the Budget session amid the pandemic.