Supplementary budget '10 passed

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FE Report
The parliament Monday passed the supplementary bill 2010 to formalise the additional public expenditure of Tk 119.87 billion that comes to more than the originally allocated amount in the current budget.
The finance minister piloted the bill and the House (JS) approved it in the absence of the opposition lawmakers.
Finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith in the supplementary budget discussion said the government has achieved the targeted revenue of Tk 794 billion for the first time in Bangladesh.
"Many people have criticised the target as ambitious, but the government has successfully reached it," he said.
Mr Muhith rolled out the Tk 1.13 trillion budget for 2009-10 fiscal, but later it was revised down to Tk 1.10 trillion.
He, however, said the public expenditure and budget management systems are weak in the country and these need to be strengthened.
"Whatever the public expenditure amount is, it plays a catalytic role and shakes up the whole economy," Mr Muhith said.
Education, agriculture, disaster management, energy and power; law and finance ministries spent more than their allocation in the current fiscal, which is very logical, he said.
The minister said human resources development is prerequisite for development and the education ministry spent a significant volume of additional amount in the current fiscal.
"The ministry has undertaken several new and innovative programmes in the current fiscal, which pushed up the expenditure compared to its original allocation," he explained.
Food and disaster ministry has also spent a significant amount of additional amount as the government wants to ensure food security in the country, Mr Muhith said.
"Bangladesh is working with the world food security organistaion, which is led by US President Barrack Obama, and by this month the government will send the country strategy to it," he said.
"The proposed budget for 2010-11 was formulated by two 'finance ministers' - one is me and the other is the prime minister," Mr Muhith said.
Public works state minister Abdul Mannan Khan said the government spent Tk 61.17 billion additional amount due to public servants' pay hike implemented in the current fiscal. Disaster management ministry spent Tk 48 billion more, agriculture Tk 7.31 billion and banking division Tk 2.66 billion in excess in the current fiscal, he said.
Defence ministry spent Tk 8 billion more than the original allocation, education ministry Tk 15.56 billion, primary and mass education Tk 2.31 billion, home ministry Tk 4.2 billion, energy and power Tk 3.93 billion and the environment and forest ministry spent Tk 5.74 billion over the original allocation.