Jaitley became a 'free man' on Saturday

January 29, 2018 15:57

More on Budget 2018: On Saturday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sat in his chambers in North Block with five or six notebooks in which he has been taking notes for the government's most important financial document, after consultations with various stake-holders. Soon he turned to the shredder and, with assistance from his private secretary Saurabh Shukla, fed the notes into the machine, leaving no trace of the thought processes and suggestions that went into the final document.

Task over in 15 minutes, Jaitley stood up, looking relaxed, and declared that 99 per cent of Budget work was now over. "I am a free man from this moment," he told Shukla, a 2005 batch officer of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service.

But it is not over till it is over, is it? The printing of Budget documents traditionally begins with the 'halwa ceremony', after which the officials involved in preparing the document are locked up in the Budget Press in North Block, where they will remain till the finance minister's Budget speech is over in the Lok Sabha. These officials are not allowed to meet anyone till the day of the presentation of the Budget.

But not everyone is happy about such secrecy surrounding the Budget, former finance minister Yashwant Sinha being one of them. The outspoken BJP leader feels that instead of the cloak of secrecy, the government should table the proposals before Parliament, and implement those that are passed by the House.

Image: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at the Halwa ceremony to mark the commencement of Budget printing process for Union Budget 2018-19, in New Delhi on January 20, 2018. Others in the photograph are the minister of state for finance, Shiv Pratap Shukla, Finance Secretary Dr Hasmukh Adhia and the secretary, department of economic affairs, S C Garg. Photograph: Courtesy, PIB.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Severe heat wave predicted in many states during Phase 2 of polling

Lakhs of voters will have to bear the searing heat when they step out to exercise their franchise in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday.

IPL: Can Starc reignite KKR's bowling against Punjab?

KKR pacer Mitchell Starc's underwhelming performance is the worst among the specialist bowlers in IPL 2024.

From Mumbai to Uganda: Ramjani's T20 World Cup journey

Uganda produced wonders in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Region Qualifier last November

What Keeps Rishabh Pant Awake At Night

'When I was injured, I had a conversation with myself that when I am back, I should be looking better, moving better and thinking better. Something that keeps me awake at night is that I should not be in the same place.'

DC Vs GT: Who Took Best Catch? Vote!

Who took the best catch at the Arun Jaitley stadium on Wednesday night?