Halwa ceremony marks final stage of Union Budget 2026-27 preparations
The Halwa ceremony marking the final stage of preparation of the Union Budget 2026-27 was held at the Budget Press, North Block on 27 January 2026 in the presence of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman; the Budget will be presented on 1 February 2026.
Summary
The traditional Halwa ceremony was held on 27 January 2026 at the Budget Press in North Block, in the presence of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and MoS Finance Pankaj Chaudhary. The ceremony precedes the 'lock-in' of officials involved in preparing the Budget. The Union Budget 2026-27 will be presented on 1 February 2026. All Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement, Demands for Grants and the Finance Bill, will be available on the bilingual (English and Hindi) Union Budget Mobile App after the Budget Speech.
Key facts
- Date
- 27 January 2026
- Venue
- Budget Press, North Block, New Delhi
- Present
- FM Nirmala Sitharaman; MoS Finance Pankaj Chaudhary
- Significance
- Precedes 'lock-in' of Budget officials
- Budget date
- 1 February 2026
- Digital access
- Union Budget Mobile App (English and Hindi)
Practice MCQs 1 questions
The Halwa ceremony held on 27 January 2026 marks which stage of the Union Budget process?
Show answer
Correct answer: D — Final stage of Budget preparation, before the lock-in of officials
PIB (Finance): the Halwa ceremony marks the final stage of Budget preparation and precedes the lock-in of officials.