Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the Union Budget mobile app on Saturday, even as final stages of FY 2021-22 Budget preparation began with the Halwa ceremony. The customary halwa ceremony was held in North Block and is performed every year before the “lock-in” process of Budget preparation begins. The mobile App facilitates 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 documents will be available after the completion of the Budget Speech by the Finance Minister. Sitharaman will present the Budget on February 1, 2021.
It will have English and Hindi language support and will be available on both Android and iOS platforms. The app can also be downloaded from the Union Budget Web Portal. Sitharaman has said that the Union Budget 2021-22 will be unlike any other in India’s history, even as India’s economy continues on the path to slow but sustainable recovery after the Covid 19 pandemic-hit financial year. India Inc expects the Union Budget 2021-22 to focus on giving a boost to infrastructure while offering simpler tax regimes to promote ease of doing business, according to a survey conducted by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu released Friday.