Holiday Report
Parliament on June 30th passed the national budget for 2019-20 at a cost of Tk 5,23,190 crore which is 18 percent higher than the revised outlay for the outgoing fiscal year.
Finance Minister AHM Kamal placed the Appropriations Bill 2019, seeking a budgetary allocation of Tk 6,42,478.27 crore which was unanimously passed by voice vote. A total of nine lawmakers from the main opposition Jatiya Party, and the BNP submitted cut motions on the budget.
They were allowed to take part in discussions on Secondary on bills for Higher Education Division, and the health, agriculture, and disaster management and relief ministries. Opposition and independent MPs did not raise voice against the passage of the Appropriations Bill.
Participating in a cut motion, BNP lawmaker Rumeen Farhana urged the government not to engage MPs in distributing Test Relief and Kabikha (Kajer Binimoye Khaddo) funds. This is not the task of lawmakers. Their main task is to formulate laws and government policies, not to go after Test Relief and Kabikha funds, the MP mentioned.
She suggested that the funds should be distributed by the Local Government Division.