On the occasion of the Halwa ceremony, the Finance Minister launched the ‘Union Budget Mobile App’ for hassle-free access of Budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public using the simplest form of digital convenience. Unlike the past, the voluminous budget documents will not be printed this year following the COVID-19 protocol and will instead be distributed electronically to the MPs. The App can also be downloaded from the Union Budget Web Portal (www.indiabudget.gov.in).
Previously, the Halwa ceremony marked the launch of a printing exercise for the budget. This will be the first time since the presentation of independent India’s first budget on November 26, 1947, that the documents containing income and expenditure statement of the Union government along with the finance bill, detailing new taxes and other measures for the new financial year, will not be physically printed. The mobile App will provide complete access to 14 Union Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill etc. as prescribed by the Constitution.
The Budget documents will be available on the Mobile App after the completion of the Budget Speech by the Finance Minister in Parliament on February 1. The App has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the guidance of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA).