Halwa Ceremony

18.07.2024

Halwa Ceremony

Why in the news?                        

Recently, the Union Finance Minister participated in a traditional ‘halwa’ ceremony, marking the final stage for preparation of Union Budget 2024-25 to be unveiled on July 23 in Lok Sabha.

About Halwa Ceremony:

• The ceremony is a ritual in which traditional dessert ‘halwa’ is prepared and served to officials and staff members of the finance ministry who are involved in the preparation of the Budget.
• It is a kind of a ‘send-off’ for finance ministry officials and staff involved in the preparation of the Union government’s annual financial statement.
• They enter what is called a ‘lock-in’ period, during which they stay in the basement of North Block, cut off from the world outside to maintain the secrecy around the final budget document.
• These stringent measures date back to a leak that occurred in 1950. A portion of the Union Budget was leaked while it was being printed at Rashtrapati Bhawan. As a result of the leak, the then Finance Minister, John Matthai, resigned.

Key facts about the Union Budget of India

• The Union Budget of India, also referred to as the Annual Financial Statement in the Article 112 of the Constitution of India, is the annual budget of the Republic of India.
• It is also known as the Annual Financial Statement of the Government; however, the term "budget" is not mentioned in the Constitution.

                                                                    Source: Indian Express

Ques :- Consider the following statements with reference to the Halwa ceremony:

Statement-I

 It is a tradition performed every year to celebrate a successful budget presentation.

Statement-II

 It involves members of the finance ministry who are involved in the preparation of the budget.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.

B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.

C.Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect.

D.Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.

Answer D