The Economic Affairs Committee of the National Council recommended the National Assembly to withdraw its proposal for the supplementary appropriation of Nu 5 M for the parliamentary committees and secretariat services. The House adopted the Supplementary Budget Appropriation Bill 2019-2020 today after adopting five of the six recommendations passed by the National Assembly.
National Council says it is against the financial norms to grant supplementary budget directly by the parliament without routing through the Finance Ministry.
“We deliberated in the House and we have come to a consensus that the sixth recommendation which the National Assembly has passed by them for them- for the parliamentary committees and secretariat staff is not agreeable. We found that it was against the financial norm. There is a way to fund the supplementary budget- firstly the concerned department has to submit a proposal to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry after reviewing will submit to the parliament for approval. We the parliamentarians are the ones who are passing the Supplementary Bills and if we recommend and pass Bills for ourselves then that gives rise to a conflict of interest,” said Ugyen Tshering, the Chairperson of Economic Affairs Committee.
The National Assembly adopted the Supplementary Appropriation not exceeding Nu. 903.277 M. The revised budget with the inclusion of the supplementary appropriation is estimated at Nu. 65,730.002 M. The appropriation is to defray the expenditure on the account of revision of pay and allowances for the Royal Bhutan Police, Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuk School of Law, revision of stipend and subsidy to State-Owned Enterprises.
Phub Gyem
