Explained: What is the ‘halwa’ ceremony ahead of Budget 2020

New Delhi, Jan 20: The traditional 'halwa' ceremony ahead of the Union Budget 2020 will take place on January 20.

The ceremony held annually will be attended by Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman and officials of the ministry. The ceremony marks the printing of the documents for the Budget and the same would take place at the North Block of the Secretariat building where the ministry is housed.

The significance:

• During the ceremony, halwa is prepared in large vessel and served to the staff of the finance ministry. Following this ceremony, the officials move to the basement of the North Block for around 10 days.
• This is done to ensure that there is no leak. The ceremony also is aimed at lauding every official in the ministry who has been part of the budget process.
• This is the seventh budget to be presented by the Narendra Modi led government. The Budget 2020 will be unveiled in Parliament on February 1.
• There are a lot of expectations from the Budget in view of the falling economy. Some of the key announcements expected would be the announcement of a distress fund of Rs 5,000 crore for micro, small and medium enterprises. Tax sops for the middle class are also on the cards as per predictions.