Jatiyo Sangsad or JS on Monday passed the supplementary budget of Tk. 465.2 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2019-20 ending on June 30.
The supplementary budget is an additional amount for a given fiscal year given out from the national exchequer in favour of divisions and ministries in addition to their already approved allocations.
After the passage of the budget, the original fiscal blueprint of Tk. 5.23 trillion of the outgoing fiscal year has now come down to Tk 5.01 trillion.
Finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal placed the supplementary budget in parliament on June 11 along with the annual fiscal outlay of Tk. 5.68 trillion for FY 2021.
Before moving the appropriation (supplementary) bill 2020, the House had a general discussion on the supplementary budget. Over two dozen demands for grant were made.
A total 167 cut-motions were also moved by 10 members from the opposition Jatiyo Party, BNP and Gono Forum, but discussions were held only on two cut-motions concerning the ministries of disaster management and relief and social welfare.
Speaking on the supplementary budget, Mr Kamal reiterated the budget prepared for the next fiscal year is meant for the people.
He said in the next budget the government has put the people before everything amid the pandemic.
The finance minister said if there is no human being in the country, then what the point for budget is.
"This is a humane budget" he told the House.
He said this is completely atypical budget and the government has an intention to spend for the interest of people.
"We will spend first, then we will earn revenues" he said.
He said: "We'll first save the people and the country and the budget is for the people".
The cut-motions were brought by Jatiya Party lawmakers Kazi Firoz Rashid, Mujibul Huq, Pir Fazlur Rahman, Liaquat Hossain Khoka, Fakhrul Imam, Shamim Haider Patwary, Rowshan Ara Mannan, BNP MP Md Harunur Rashid and Rumin Farhana. Gonoforum member Mukabbir Khan also placed the cut-motions.
The finance division got the highest allocation amounting to Tk 363.6 billion.
The local government division got Tk. 28.08 billion, ministry of disaster management and relief Tk. 12.33 billion, the Prime Minister's Office Tk. 2.14 billion, Cabinet Division Tk 598.8 million, Supreme Court Tk 33.9 million, the Election Commission Secretariat Tk 2.99 billion, the Public Service Commission Tk 183 million, the Economic Relations Division Tk 651 million, Planning Division Tk 3.79 billion, the implementation, monitoring and evaluation division Tk 533.4 million, the Statistics and Informatics Division Tk 2.90 billion, ministry of defence at Tk 455 billion, Armed Forces Division Tk 925.8 million, the Public Security Division Tk 2.94 billion, the ministry of social welfare Tk 127.9 million, the ministry of women and children's affairs Tk 399.8 million, the ministry of labour and employment Tk 539.6 million, the ministry of housing and public works at Tk 8.43 billion.
Also, the allocations for the ministry of religious affairs were Tk 5.27 billion and those of the ministry of industries were Tk 4.50 billion, the ministry of textile and jute Tk 5.59 billion, energy and mineral resources division Tk 4.94 billion, the ministry of water resources Tk 8.37 billion, the ministries of shipping and CHT Tk 732.7 million and TK 15.4 million respectively.
jasimharoon@yahoo.com