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A large number of officials and support staff, who are directly associated with the Budget making and printing process, are now required to stay in the ministry and remain cut off from their families till the presentation of the Budget in the Lok Sabha.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur and senior FiMin officials on Saturday observed the symbolic Halwa ceremony to mark the launch of formal printing of documents relating to the Union Budget 2019-2020.
The National Democratic Alliance government will on July 5 unveil the Budget for 2019-2020.
On February 1, the government had presented an Interim Budget to seek Parliament's nod for spending till the new government took charge after the Lok Sabha election.
Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, DIPAM Secretary Atanu Chakraborty and Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar attended the customary pre-Budget event.
As part of the ritual, halwa is prepared in a big kadhai (large frying pot) and served to the entire staff at the finance ministry.
After the sweet dish is served, a large number of officials and support staff, who are directly associated with the Budget making and printing process, are required to stay in the ministry and remain cut off from their families till the presentation of the Budget in the Lok Sabha.
They are not allowed to contact their families on the phone or any other form of communication, like e-mail.
Only very senior finance ministry officials are permitted to go home.