Budget debate: NA approves 118 demands for grants

Govt rejects over 437 cut motions of the opposition.

ISLAMABAD:

The National Assembly on Wednesday approved for next financial year a total of 118 demands for grants related to various federal ministries and departments.

The government rejected all – more than 437 – cut motions of the opposition on various ministries and its departments. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar presented in the house demands for grants for approval.

The house approved Rs4.755 billion for cabinet division (CD), Rs5.15 billion for the CD’s other expenditures, Rs87 million for aviation division, Rs14.258 billion for capital administration and development division, Rs2 billion for establishment division and Rs1.1 billion for other expenditure of establishment division.

The assembly also approved Rs212.69 million for Board of Investment, Rs57.456 million for Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission, Rs6.152 billion for Atomic Energy Commission, Rs4.833 billion for commerce division, Rs4.299 billion for communication division, Rs2.32 billion for other expenditure of communication division.

Rs1.33 billion was also allocated for defence division, Rs4.135 billion for federal government educational institutions in cantonments and garrisons, Rs700 billion for defence services, Rs15.9 billion for other expenditure of finance division and Rs211.6 billion for superannuation allowances and pensions.

The assembly also approved Rs63.937 billion for grant-in-aid and miscellaneous adjustments between the federal and provincial government, Rs43 billion for Higher Education Commission, Rs3 billion for Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Rs829.5 million for law, justice and human rights division, Rs1.797 billion for National Accountability Bureau, Rs10.877 billion for foreign affairs, Rs1.8 billion for other expenditure of foreign affairs.

Speaking on cut motions, the opposition members, including Leader of Opposition Syed Khurshid Shah, said the government missed almost all economic targets and demanded steps to reduce budgetary deficit.

Members of opposition parties on Wednesday staged a walkout from the National Assembly against the firing incident in Lahore wherein Muttahida Qaumi Movement MNA Tahira Asif was shot and injured.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2014.