The finance ministry has a new address at Kartavya Bhawan, but India's most guarded financial secret still finds its home in an old, familiar place. When it comes to printing the Union Budget, tradition firmly holds its ground on Raisina Hill.
A Secure Tradition Continues
Official sources confirm that the printing of Budget 2026-27 documents will happen deep inside North Block. This is the former home of the finance ministry. The ministry moved to the new Central Secretariat offices at Kartavya Bhawan last year. However, the highly confidential Budget printing exercise will once again take place in North Block's basement government press.
The new Kartavya Bhawan complex is modern and expansive. Yet it does not have a secure printing facility ready for the elaborate Budget process. North Block's press remains completely shielded from public access and scrutiny. This continuity shows how some Budget rituals stay anchored to tested spaces, even amid administrative modernization.
Decades of Secrecy and Security
The Budget printing tradition carries a long history steeped in secrecy. Documents were initially printed at Rashtrapati Bhavan. A leak in 1950 forced the government to move the exercise to Minto Road. Three decades later, in 1980, the press shifted to North Block. It has remained there ever since.
The process itself is both elaborate and confidential. Hundreds of copies of voluminous documents get printed under strict security. Printing staff face quarantine inside the press for up to two weeks. Once printing begins, officials involved in the exercise lose all outside access. This follows long-standing secrecy protocols.
A traditional 'halwa' ceremony marks the formal start of this lockdown. This symbolic ritual happens at the printing press. It signals the beginning of quarantine for all associated staff. The ceremony is expected next week. This indicates that preparations for Budget 2026-27 have entered their final stage.
Digital Transformation Meets Physical Tradition
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her ninth consecutive Budget on February 1 in the Lok Sabha. This comes against a backdrop of projected GDP growth at 7.4% for the current financial year. Inflation remains within a comfortable range.
While physical printing continues in North Block, the Budget itself has undergone significant digital transformation in recent years. In 2021, Sitharaman made history by presenting the Budget from a tablet. This marked the first paperless Budget since Independence.
That same year saw the launch of the Union Budget Mobile App. The app allows Members of Parliament and the public to access 14 Budget documents digitally. These include the Annual Financial Statement, Demand for Grants, and the Finance Bill.
The contrast is clear. Budget documents move from paper stacks to tablets for presentation. Yet the printing ritual endures in its secure, traditional location. This blend of digital advancement and physical tradition defines India's modern Budget process.
