Parliament on Sunday passed the Tk 5.23 trillion (5,23,190 crore) national budget for the fiscal year 2019-20, themed as 'Bangladesh on a Pathway to Prosperity: Time is Ours, Time for Bangladesh'.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal moved the Appropriations Bill, 2019 seeking a budgetary allocation of Tk 6.42 trillion (Tk 6,42,478.27 crore) which was passed by voice vote.
Following the proposal mooted in the House by the Finance Ministry for the parliamentary approval of appropriation of fund for meeting necessary development and non-development expenditures of the government, the ministers concerned placed justifications for the expenditures by their respective ministries, through 59 demands for grant.
Earlier, parliament rejected by voice vote a total of only 484 cut-motions that stood in the name of opposition members on 59 demands for grants for different ministries.
A total of nine MPs from Jatiya Party and BNP submitted their cut-motions on the budget, according to UNB news agency.
They were allowed to participate in the discussion on Secondary and Higher Education Division, Health Ministry, Agriculture Ministry and Disaster Management and Relief Ministry.
Later, Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury applied guillotine to quicken the process of passing the demands for grants for different ministries without giving the lunch break.
Opposition and independent MPs were present at the House when the Appropriation Bill was passed in parliament and they did not raise any voice against passing of the bill.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on June 13 placed the budget the 2019-20 fiscal with a focus on developing communications infrastructure and human resources and achieve the 8.2 per cent GDP growth.
