Passage of supplementary budget

To endorse all government expenditures before a new budget comes into effect is part of parliamentary practices. But the way the supplementary budget was passed created the impression that the treasury bench was in undue haste while dealing with a very important component of public expenditures. Though some opposition legislators took strong exception to the huge amount of money spent on payment of telephone bills and sumptuary allowances, the passage of the supplementary budget had a surprisingly easy sailing.

It is not unusual for the government to go for additional expenditures, but such expenditures must come under the close scrutiny of the lawmakers to ensure financial accountability. The whole idea of formulating a budget might lose its meaning if the parliament blindly Okays all additional expenditures without closely examining whether there was sufficient ground for drawing such a huge amount from the public exchequer.

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So, there should have been elaborate discussion on the additional expenditures and the parliament was expected to play a responsible role in the matter. The government, for its part, cannot afford to lose control over public expenditures. If there were avoidable expenditures, the need was to place everything before the parliament and allow the lawmakers to have a clear view of how the additional expenditures reached such a staggering figure. It was certainly not an issue that could be disposed of so quickly, and so bluntly.

The treasury bench apparently relied on its majority to push through the supplementary budget, paying little attention to the need for a detailed discussion on how the public money was spentan injudicious stance in our opinion.