Sangsad Bhaban: The Jatiya Sangsad (JS) today passed the supplementary budget of Tk 11000,55,11,000 for the fiscal 2012-13 to meet the increased expenditures under different ministries.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith placed the supplementary budget in the House for its nod with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Choudhury in the chair, reports BSS.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith moved the Appropriation (Supplementary) Bill 2013, which was approved by the House by voice vote allowing the government to spend Tk 11000,55,11,000 from the consolidated fund to meet the expenditure of the current fiscal year that ends on June 30.

AMA Muhith placed the Tk 1,91,738 crore national budget for the fiscal year 2012-13 in the JS on June 7, 2012. The House passed the budget on June 28, 2012.

Different ministries, divisions and institutions sought the additional amount under 26 demands for grant. As many as 299 cut- motions were moved by the opposition members.

Discussions were held on cut-motions for five demands. However, those cut- motions were rejected by voice votes.

Lawmaker Tofail Ahmed, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhuey, opposition leader Moudud Ahmed, independent lawmaker Fazlul Azim Chowdhury, took part in the discussion on the supplementary budget.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith said the budget allocation for the fiscal year 2012-13 was made properly and for this reason the gap between the allocation and expenditures is very narrow. It has happened because the government has been able to manage macroeconomy properly. He said most of the opposition lawmakers do not have adequate knowledge about the macroeconomy and for this reason they made irrelevant comments about it.

He said the present government has been giving subsidy to the agriculture ministry and it would give this ministry as such subsidy in the future considering its contribution to the economy.

He said the government increased volume of agricultural loan by 15 percent on an average over the last four years and because of this support, the country is not importing onion and zinger. "Actually, subsidy for agriculture sector is one kind of investment," he added.

He said the overall situation of the current fiscal year was better although there was effort to create instability but the people resisted it successfully.

Muhith said every budget he placed in the JS during the last four years was ambitious and such ambitious budget was implemented properly.

According to the supplementary budget, the highest amount, Tk 5966,81,88,000 has been allocated for the agriculture sector and the second highest amount, Tk 1218, 16,00,000 for the road division of the ministry of communications.

Of the remaining, power sector will get Tk 671,26,71,000, local government Tk 787,50,88,000 and defence Tk 603,33,04,000, home ministry Tk 438,22,02,000 and bank and financial institution division Tk 587,72,58,000.

Ends/AMA/10/06/13