New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Demands for Grants and Appropriation Bill 2023 for ministries without any discussion amid protests and uproar, derailing parliamentary proceedings for the whole week.
The Bills were taken up by the lower house after two earlier adjournments, and were introduced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman soon after the House met after 6 pm.
They were guillotined – a parliamentary term that refers to the passage of a law without debate or discussion – and approved by voice vote amid sloganeering from the opposition benches. The second half of the budget session was nearly marred by protests and disruptions, as the government demanded an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his comments in Britain, and the opposition called for a joint parliamentary committee to investigate the allegations. was demanded. Allegations of fraud in the Adani group by American firm Hindenburg Research.
An Appropriation Bill is a money bill that authorizes the government to draw money from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet the expenditure of its works, programs and schemes presented as part of the budgeted expenditure for FY24. The passage of the bill also eliminates the government’s expenditure of about ₹45 trillion, as provided for in Budget 2023-24.
According to officials, the Finance Bill, 2023, which was presented by Sitharaman on February 1 and also includes tax proposals for FY24, is expected to be taken up by the Lok Sabha on Friday. An official, requesting anonymity, said that with the passage of the Appropriation Bill, about two-thirds of the budgetary exercise by the Lok Sabha has been completed. Both – the Appropriation Bill and the Finance Bill – are money bills, while the former deals with the expenditure side of the budget for a particular financial year, the latter involving income such as taxes and fees. “may be paid to and from the Consolidated Fund of India and the amount applicable shall not exceed the amount specified in column 3 of the Schedule, being in the aggregate an amount of one hundred and forty-four lakh twenty-seven thousand one hundred and forty-eight. crore and sixteen lakh rupees in respect of several charges to be paid during the financial year 2023-24 in respect of …,” the Appropriation Bill said.
The session is scheduled to end on April 6.
