The National Assembly approved with a majority vote on Thursday supplementary grants amounting to Rs 664.399 billion against 131 demands for excessive grants by federal government departments to meet expenditures other than the expenditures charged upon the consolidated funds for the year 2010-11.
Tempers remained calm after the exchange of harsh words between the treasury and opposition members on Wednesday on the politically charged speech by President Asif Ali Zardari. PML-N members remained mostly calm and quiet and rather indifferent to the budget process.
The opposition did, however, manage to avert a resolution proposed by PPP lawmaker Mehreen Anwar Raja, who stated on a point of order that she wanted to table a resolution on breach of privileges of the women legislators by a PML-N member, who had referred to the jewelry of women in a derogatory tone during his speech.
As Mehreen was trying to get the rules suspended, Rana Tanveer pointed out quorum, which was found to be incomplete and the session was subsequently prorogued.
Earlier, the house also approved excessive grants for the previous financial years as cleared earlier by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Rs 3.43 billion were approved for the 2000-01, Rs 13.247 billion were approved for 1995-96, and Rs 5.406 billion were approved for 1988-9. Rs 1.809 trillion were appropriated under the head of charge expenditures shown in the supplementary demands for grants and appropriations relating to the financial year ending on June 30, 2011.
The House also approved Rs 5.314 billion under the head of excess demands for grants and appropriations for the year 1988-89 against 84 demands, while four demands worth Rs 7.103 billion were appropriated.
Later, the Minister for Textile Makhdoom Shahabuddin laid before the National Assembly the Schedule of Authorised Expenditure 2011-12, Supplementary Schedule of Authorised Expenditure 2011-12 and Excess Schedule of Authorised Expenditure 1988-89 1995-96 and 2000-01 under Article 83 of the constitution.
Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh said the supplementary grants of Rs 387 billion that also included last year’s tariff subsidy of Rs 120 billion were in manageable range and showed financial discipline of the government.
Rana Tanveer said that the volume of supplementary demands was too high. He said the supplementary demands should be approved by the House in future.
