Budget 2022: No tradition halwa ceremony this year, sweets sent directly due to COVID

The Union Budget 2022-23 will be presented by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, confirmed the Finance Ministry on Thursday. Like last time, the budget will be presented in paperless form, and the document will be made available to the Members of the Parliament and the general public alike, at one place - Union Government Budget App.

As per the Ministry, the mobile app allows complete access to 14 union budget documents- which comprises the budget speech, annual financial statement, demand for grants, as prescribed by the Constitution in Hindi as well as English both on Android and iOS platforms. 

The Budget session of Parliament is set to kick off on January 31, with President Ram Nath Kovind addressing both the houses. The session will be held in two parts – the first part of the session would conclude on February 11, 2022. After a month, part two of the session would begin on March 14, 2022, and conclude on April 8, 2022.

No 'Halwa Ceremony' this year 

Every year the government hosts a 'halwa ceremony', a few days before the Budget is presented, marking the official kick-off of events.  The 'halwa ceremony' is a customary pre-Budget event that formally flags off the printing of different documents associated with the Budget. However, this year owing to the COVID-19 situation, the Halwa ceremony was not performed and instead, sweets were provided to the core staff who are due to undergo “lock-in” at their workplaces. 

For those unaware, there is a "lock-in" of the core staff to maintain the secrecy of the budget. Budget Press, situated inside North Block, houses all officials in the period leading up to the presentation of the Budget. During the period of lock-in, they are not allowed to call anyone, including their loved ones, or so the old tales claim. 

What to expect from the Budget?

• As India continues to tackle the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected that the budget will focus on the economic recovery and boosting the country's healthcare system owing to the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. A growth of around 9% for the upcoming financial year is likely to be depicted by the Finance Minister. According to the advance estimates of the National Statistical Office (NSO), the economy is expected to record a growth of 9.2% during the current fiscal, which is a tad lower than the 9.5% projected by the Reserve Bank. Importantly, the growth this fiscal year is expected to be double-digit.
• Salaried employees are also expecting Increase Standard Deduction Limit for higher disposable income. Also, it is reported that a focus on the Work From Home system will also be introduced.
• Also, the taxpayers are expecting that there will be a reduction in tax rates and surcharges with more money in hand. 

On December 30, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had chaired a pre-budget consultation meeting with finance ministers of states and union territories (UTs) for the upcoming Union Budget 2022-23. The meeting, held at Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan was also attended by several chief ministers who hold finance portfolios in their respective states.