Federal Finance Minister, Dr. Miftah Ismail moved the supplementary demands for 127 grants to meet the expenditure during the outgoing fiscal year.
The major supplementary demands for grants included Rs2,045,481,000 for Cabinet Division, Rs25,008,000 for other expenditures of the Cabinet Division, Rs3,430,023,000 for Capital Administration and Development Division, Rs262,174,000 for Establishment Division and Rs38,617,220,000 for Defence Services.
The grants also included Rs85,708,780,000 for superannuation allowances and pensions, Rs4,395,422,000 for other expenditures of Finance Division, Rs 11,300,001,000 for subsidies and miscellaneous expenditure, Rs2,355,847,000 for Higher Education Commission, Rs3,025,364,000 for Economic Affairs Division, Rs336,001,000 for Customs, Rs360,120,000 for Inland Revenue, Rs1,407,909,000 for other expenditures of Foreign Affairs Division, Rs655,743,000 for Foreign Affairs, Rs1,120,868,000 for Press Information Department and Rs1,550,000,000 for Passport Organization.
Similarly, the house approved supplementary demands for grants of Rs7,447,075,000 for Civil Armed Forces, Rs2,713,750,000 for Pakistan Rangers, Rs1,411,778,000 for other expenditure of Interior Division, Rs1,142,880,000 for Narcotics Control Division, Rs10,795,948,000 for National Food Security and Research Division, Rs2,499,014,000 for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Division, Rs1,752,339,000 for other expenditure of Religious Affairs and Inter Faith Harmony Division, Rs 22,396,983,000 for federal miscellaneous investments, Rs 1,576,500,000 for other loans and advances by the federal government, Rs2,637,407,000 for development expenditure of Cabinet Division, Rs1,505,200,000 for development expenditure of Communication Division, Rs2,293,433,000 for development expenditure of Power Division, Rs 3,133,500,000 for development expenditure of Federal Education and Professional Training Division and Rs for 5,092,413,000 other development expenditure.
The grants also included Rs8,000,004,000 for development expenditure outside Public Sector Development Programme, Rs1,284,261,000 for development expenditure of Economic Affairs Division outside PSDP, Rs6,105,077,000 for development expenditure of Inter-Provincial Coordination Division, Rs2,530,853,000 for development expenditure of Interior Division, Rs1,000,000,000 Development Expenditure of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Division, Rs 1,764,454,000 for development expenditure of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Division, Rs9,373,424,000 for development expenditure of Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Rs 32,770,000,000 for development expenditure of Water Resources Division, Rs15,871,569,000 for capital outlay on Petroleum Division and Rs8,493,530,000 for capital outlay on Civil Works.
On the occasion, while responding to various objections on supplementary grants, Miftah Ismail said that the borrowings were done due to fiscal deficit. He said that the current was also serious problem; however, the country’s exports increased 24 percent in March 2018 and 18 percent in April 2018 while the imports have reduced by 2 percent. So the scenario is changing favorably, he added.
Earlier, talking about the supplementary demands of grants on the occasion, Dr Azra Fazal criticized the performance of Law and Justice Department, saying that billions of rupees are being lost by the government as this department was not doing its work properly, suggesting reformations in the department.
Shazia Marri also questioned performance of various departments and questioned various expenditure the government has done during the current fiscal year.
Dr. Shireen Mazari categorically rejected the supplementary budget saying that it was unacceptable, while Sheikh Salahuddin also rejected supplementary budget saying that it would put burden on common people.
Sahibzada Tariqullah stressed the need that the suplemtary budget happens to be clear cut violation of budgetary proposals, saying that a proper mechanism should be devised to stop this practice.
Assad Umar said that most of the supplementary budget is related to repayment of foreign debt and its debt services which puts a question mark on it.