ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Saturday approved 49 demands for grants related to cabinet, foreign affairs, energy and finance divisions and rejected all cut motions moved by opposition parties to reduce developmental expenditures for various projects and schemes.
Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin moved the Demands for Grants one-by-one in the House, chaired by Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri who allowed maximum lawmakers from the opposition benches to argue in favour of their Cut Motions.
The House approved the demands after the debate, with the voice vote, that included Rs 277,000,000 and Rs 2,048,000,000 to meet expenditures of the Cabinet and the Cabinet Division respectively during the year ending on June 30, 2022.
Similarly, it passed Rs 387,000,000 for the Emergency Relief and Repatriation, Rs 8,034,000,000 for Intelligence Bureau, Rs10,818,000,000 for Atomic Energy, Rs 1,148,000,000 for Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Rs 30,720,000,000 for Naya Pakistan Housing Development Authority, Rs 401,000,000 for Prime Minister’s Office (Internal) and Rs 520,000,000 for Prime Minister Office (Public) on account of expenditures.
The lawmakers okayed demands of Rs643,000,000 for expenses of National Disaster Management Authority, Rs 367,000,000 for Board of Investment, Rs 60,000,000 for Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission, Rs 1,483,000,000 for Aviation Division, Rs 8,078,000,000 for Airports’ Security Force, Rs 5,500,000,000 for Establishment Division and Rs 884,000,000 for the Federal Public Service Commission.
The government also got approved grants of Rs 1,168,000,000 for National School of Public Policy, Rs 635,000,000 for Civil Service Academy, Rs 144,000,000 for National Security Division, Rs2,155,000,000 for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, Rs 250,000,000,000 for Benazir Income Support Programme and Rs6,505,000,000 for Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal.
Besides, the National Assembly passed the grants of Rs 46,235,000,000 for development expenditures of Cabinet Division, Rs 3,558,201,000 for of Aviation Division, Rs 348,854,000 for Establishment Division, Rs 598,910,000 for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, Rs 7,368,864,000 for Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), Rs 27,000,000,000 for Capital Outlay on Development of Atomic Energy and Rs200,000,000 for Capital Outlay of Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
The House also approved demand for grants for foreign affairs division worth Rs. 1,97O,498,000 while another demand for grant worth Rs. 21,119,752,000 for foreign mission was also approved.
A total of 117 out of 128 demands for grants have been approved during the last two days. The remaining 11 demands for grants would be considered in the next sitting which would be held on June 28, 2021 (Monday) at 1200 hours.
