Top officials of the finance ministry and more than 100 employees have gone into lockdown for preparing the 2017 union budget.
Inside the quarantined zone, finance secretary Ashok Lavasa — the senior most officer — is responsible for preparing the year's budget.
Along with Lavasa, economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das, revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia, chief economic adviser Arvind Subramaniam and chairpersons of the direct (CBDT) and indirect tax (CBEC) authorities will play signficant roles in developing the budget.
While the year's budget lock-in will be a maiden experience for former environment and civil aviation secretary, Ashok Lavasa, it would be the final one for his senior batch mate Shaktikanta Das, from Tamil Nadu cadre.
Lavasa will retire in October this year, and his senior Das was due for retirement earlier in 2016. He was given a three month extension, on Monday, by the appointments committee of the Cabinet.
Das's role in preparing the year's budget had come under criticism from BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who had alleged that Das was a stooge of P. Chidambaram, former UPA finance minister, in his recent Twitter posts.
This would also be the first budget lock-in for Neeraj Gupta, secretary for the department of investment and public asset management (DIPAM). The new department of the finance ministry will focus on revival of central public sector enterprises and allow them to raise funds for projects.
Arun Jaitley, who is on a poll campaign tour through Punjab, will take stock of the budget preparations on a day-to-day basis.
"The finance minister has a secure connection for getting updates on budget work at all times," said a finance ministry spokesperson.
The budget lock-in will end after the finance minister's budget day speech, though some employees and senior officials will be allowed to visit their homes earlier.