The National Council repelled the National Assembly’s decision to approve a supplementary budget of Nu 5 M to be used for parliamentary committees and secretariat services.
Majority of the members of parliament (MP) from the Upper House said the decision is against the principle and norms of finance. This was taken into consideration as the House deliberated on the Supplementary Budget Appropriation Bill for the Financial Year 2019-2020.
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.
The National assembly also added expenditure approving the supplementary budget to its own House to meet the maintenance and repair works of National Assembly’s vehicles and fund for the new sustainable development committee. However, the members from the National Council raised the concern for a need to follow proper channel.
“If this is done separately, the ministries, department and sectors will also start doing the same. Moreover, when I talked to the accounts group of the office of the secretariat, even National Council do not have a budget. In four months time, when the session is over, even MPs from this house needs to go to their Dzongkhags. If for that, we do the same, it is against the norms. If we approve that, we would have to approve for everyone else,” informed Ugyen Tshering, the Paro MP.
“This is recurrent expenditure. The right place to propose for recurrent expenditure is from the ministry and not parliament. The proper step is that the relevant department comes up with an estimate for the need of budget and then put it up to the ministry. We know that this budget proposed is going to be used for a very good purpose but this is not the right place or as per the rule,” said Sangay Dorji, the Chhukha MP.
“We have prerogative to makes laws. But if according to law, something is not permissible but as per the convenient, if the law is being changed like if we put the proposal and if we ourselves approve it, the conflict of interest comes in,” added Phuntsho Rapten, an Eminent Member.
“Before, National Council, for example, asked for a budget from the Finance Ministry when we had an immediate meeting to attend. And the ministry even gave us the budget. The ministry after looking at the overall saving at the end of the year from different sectors gives a budget to sectors in immediate need. So as per the rule, if we think we have authority to propose and approve, it is a conflict of interest,” added Karma Tshering, an Eminent Member.
Any kind of supplementary budget should root through relevant ministry which is then forwarded to the Finance Ministry for approval. The Finance Minister during his presentation on Supplementary Budget Appropriation Bill in the National Council last week, also shared his concern on the Bill passed on the parliamentary committee and secretariat services of Nu. 5 M. He said it sets the wrong precedent which he said should be avoided in the future. Despite raising this concern in the National Assembly, the majority supported the proposal and the budget was approved.
Samten Dolkar
