Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of State for Finance Dr. Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad participated in the traditional Halwa ceremony at North Block, signaling the initiation of the final phase of preparations for the Interim Union Budget 2024. This customary event precedes the budget 'lock-in' stage, during which officials involved in budget preparations are restricted from leaving North Block. Similar to the past three full Union Budgets, the Interim Union Budget 2024 will be presented in a paperless format, scheduled for delivery on February 1, as announced by the Finance Ministry.

The Finance Ministry has announced that all Union Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants, Finance Bill, etc., as mandated by the Constitution, will be accessible through the 'Union Budget Mobile App'. This initiative aims to provide easy access to budgetary information for Members of Parliament and the general public. The documents will be released in both English and Hindi and can be accessed on Android and iOS platforms, with the app downloadable from the Union Budget Web Portal (www.indiabudget.gov.in). 

The availability of Budget documents on the Mobile App will commence after the Union Finance Minister delivers the Budget Speech in Parliament on February 1. During the halwa ceremony, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, accompanied by senior officials, including Finance Secretary & Secretary, Expenditure T.V. Somanathan, Secretary, Economic Affairs Ajay Seth, Secretary, DIPAM Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Secretary, Revenue Sanjay Malhotra, Chairman, Central Board for Direct Taxes (CBDT) Nitin Gupta, and Chairman, Central Board for Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, conducted a review of preparations and extended best wishes to the officials involved.