Halwa ceremony marking the commencement of Budget printing process for Interim Budget 2014-15 was held in North Block yesterday in the presence of the Union Finance Minister Shri P.Chidambaram. Interim Budget 2014-15 is to be presented on 17th February, 2014. To maintain the secrecy of Budget, there is a “lock-in” of the officials involved in making the Budget. Budget press situated in North Block, which houses all the officials in the period leading up to the presentation of Interim Budget. These officers and staff gain touch with their near and dear ones only after the Budget is presented by the Union Finance Minister in Parliament.

At the Halwa Ceremony, the Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram was accompanied by Shri Namo Narain Meena and Shri J.D.Seelam, both Ministers for State for Finance, Shri Sumit Bose, Finance Secretary and other Secretaries of the Finance Ministry, Chairperson of CBEC and CBDT and Joint Secretary (Budget) and other officers and staff of the Ministry of Finance involved in Budget preparation and printing process.

Budget secrecy maintained through a mandatory lock-in of officials during the printing process before presentation. The interim budget printing process is commenced by a halwa ceremony and conducted at the dedicated North Block Budget press, where officials involved in preparation and printing are placed under a mandatory 'lock-in' to maintain confidentiality and restrict contact with outsiders until the Finance Minister presents the Budget in Parliament.