New Delhi: The Union budget will be green this year too, reducing extensive document printing that is associated with the third largest tax proposal presentation and financial statements in Asia.
Budget documents are mostly available digitally, with only a handful of physical copies, officials said.
Printing a few hundred copies of thick budget documents are complicated exercises so that the printing staff must be quarantined in the print press in the northern block basement – chair of the Ministry of Finance – for at least a few weeks.
This quarantine and early printing will begin with the traditional ‘Halwa’ ceremony attended by the Minister of Finance, Deputy Minister of Finance and senior officials in the Ministry.
Since ruling, the Modi government has limited the printing of a budget copy – initially cut copies distributed to journalists and external analysts and then reduce the provided for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPS quoting a pandemic.
This year, the rupture of a very contagious Omicron variant has brought more sidewalks.
As a result, the Simbolic Halwa ceremony was given go-by, the source said, quoted the applicable pandemic.
However, a small group of staff will undergo quarantine mandatory for compilation of digital budget documents.
Budget documents usually include minister of finance speech in parliament, spotlight, annual financial statements, financial bills that contain tax proposals, memorandum that explain the provisions in the financial bill, and a macro framework statement.
They also include medium-term fiscal policies, a fiscal policy strategy framework, framework for schemes, customs notifications, the implementation of the announcement of the previous budget, the acceptance budget, budget expenditure and budget statement for budget estimates.
The documents are so large that the cotton bag is used to be provided every set to carry it.
Minister of Finance Nirmala Nirmala Sitharaman, who in its inaugural budget presentation in 2019 was shunned by old practices to bring speech documents and budgets in suitcases for ‘bahi-khata’ holding the paper, using a handheld tablet to read his speech on the last chance on February 1 2021.
He came to Parliament who brought a gadget into a red ‘bahi-khata’ cloth.
He will present his fourth budget on February 1, 2022.
‘Halwa Ceremony’ is usually held 10 days before the Union budget.
Last year, this was the first time since the Independent Independent Independent Budget presentation on November 26, 1947, that documents that contained revenue statements and expenditure of the Government together with financial bills, detailing new taxes and other steps for new financial years, no Physically printed.
Also, for convenience, the Ministry of Finance in 2021 launched the ‘Union Budget Cellular Application’ for free access to budget documents by parliamentarians (MPs) and the general public.
As part of the ritual, ‘Halwa’ was prepared in the ‘Kadhai’ large (large fried pan) and served to all staff involved in the budget that made service implementation.
The significance of the event is that after sweet dishes are served, a large number of officials and support staff who are directly associated with the manufacture of budgets is required to remain in service and remain deducted from their families until the budget presentation at Lok Sabha.
They are not even permitted to contact those closest to them by telephone or other forms of communication, including e-mail.
Budget becomes green, cutting printing to a minimum
