The Ministry of Finance marked the final stage of preparations for the Union Budget 2026–27 with the traditional Halwa Ceremony, held on 27 January 2026 at the Budget Press, North Block, New Delhi. The ceremony, attended by Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Finance, and senior officials of the Ministry of Finance, signifies the commencement of the confidential “lock-in” period for officials involved in Budget preparation. During the event, the Finance Minister reviewed logistical readiness at the Budget Press and extended best wishes to the Budget team. The Union Budget 2026–27 is scheduled to be presented in Parliament on 1 February 2026. To enhance transparency and accessibility, all Budget documents—including the Annual Financial Statement, Demand for Grants, and the Finance Bill—will be made available digitally via the Union Budget Mobile App and the official Budget portal immediately after the Budget Speech, in both English and Hindi, across Android and iOS platforms.
Ministry of Finance
Final stage of preparations for Union Budget 2026-27 commences with the Halwa Ceremony in New Delhi, today
Posted On: 27 JAN 2026 4:21PM by PIB Delhi
The Halwa ceremony, marking the final stage of the Budget preparation process for Union Budget 2026-27, was held today in the Budget Press at North Block, in the presence of Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of State for Finance, Shri Pankaj Chaudhary.
The ‘Halwa ceremony’ precedes the ‘lock-in’ of the officials involved in preparation of the Union Budget. The Union Budget 2026-27 will be presented on 1st February, 2026.
At the Halwa Ceremony, the Union Finance Minister was accompanied by the Secretaries of all the Departments under the Ministry of Finance and other senior officers involved in Budget preparation.
As part of the ceremony, the Union Finance Minister also took a tour of the Budget Press and reviewed the preparations, besides extending her best wishes to the entire budget team.
All Union Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill etc. will also be available on the “Union Budget Mobile App” for hassle-free access of Budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public in a digital accessible mode. The App is bilingual (English & Hindi) and will be available on both Android and iOS platforms. The App can also be downloaded from the Union Budget Web Portal (www.indiabudget.gov.in).
The Budget documents will be available on the Mobile App and the website after the completion of the Budget Speech by the Union Finance Minister in Parliament on 1st February, 2026.
