National Assembly gives nod to Rs43.5 trillion charged expenditure

Expenditure to be charged from the federal consolidated fund

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Wednesday approved the charged expenditure of Rs43,477,834,265,000 including servicing of domestic and foreign debt. The charged expenditure is included in demands for grants and appropriations for the financial year ending on June 30, 2020.

The expenditure will be charged from the federal consolidated fund. According to the Constitution, all revenues received by the federal government, all loans raised by the government and all moneys received by it in repayment of any loan, shall form part of a federal consolidated fund.

The charged expenditure include Rs4,566,077,000 for superannuation allowances and pensions, Rs20,400,000,000 for grants in aid and miscellaneous adjustments between federal and provincial governments and Rs75,000,000 for other expenditure of Foreign Affairs Division,

Rs255,331,000 are for other expenditure of Law and Justice Division, Rs1,959,590,000 for the National Assembly, Rs1,877,576,000 for the Senate, Rs18,000,000 for Pakistan Post Office Department,

Rs1,100,000,000 for Pakistan Railways and Rs163,103,905,000 for External Development Loans and Advances by the federal government.

Rs992,000,000 are allocated for staff, household and allowances of the president, Rs5, 365,000,000 for audit, Rs2,531,684,573,000 for servicing of domestic debt, Rs39, 172,623, 294,000 for repayment of domestic debt and Rs359,764,391,000 for servicing of foreign debt.

Rs1,095,254,433,000 are earmarked for foreign loans repayment, Rs108,300,093,000 for repayment of short term foreign credits, Rs2,095,000,000 for the Supreme Court, Rs579,000,000 for Islamabad High Court, Rs6,849,000,000 for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Rs719,000,000 for Wafaqi Mohtasib and Rs253,000,000 for Federal Tax Ombudsman.

Before approval of the charged expenditure, discussion under clause (1) of Article 82 of the Constitution of Pakistan was held in the National Assembly. Taking part in the debate the PML-N’s Dr Aisha Ghaus-Pasha said 83 per cent growth has been registered in demands for grants which is unprecedented.

She asked the government to share reason behind the growth of demands and grants. Naveed Qamar of the PPP said it looked the government would not achieve the target of revenue collection.

He said it was unfortunate that the ECP provincial members have not been appointed due to lack of consensus between the prime minister and the NA leader of opposition. He asked the government to develop consensus for the nomination of ECP members.

The PML-N’s Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh said it was unfortunate that there has been a 20 per cent increase in inflation since the PTI government came to power in July 2018.

Former prime minister and the PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said the PTI government has taken more loans which is a matter of concern as the PTI had always talked against taking of loans. The PML-N’s Riazul Haq said demands for grants had risen which was unacceptable.

Former foreign minister and the PML-N leader Khawaja Asif said it was unfortunate that Pakistani rupee has devalued which, he said, is hurting the economy. "Free fall should be controlled as interest rate will also skyrocket," he added.

Shazia Marri of the PPP asked the NA speaker for the issuance of production orders of detained members of National Assembly. The PPP leader and former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar said the country's economy is in bad shape and imbalance in exchange rate is unproductive for the economy. “The PTI government has done nothing to improve the country's economy,” she added.