Halwa served, doors shut: Budget 2026 enters lock-in mode

The traditional Halwa ceremony, which marks the final stage of preparations for the Union Budget 2026-27, was held on Tuesday at the Budget Press in North Block. The ceremony took place in the presence of Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary. The Halwa ceremony is an important ritual that signals the beginning of the ‘lock-in’ period for officials involved in preparing the Budget