Parliament on Thursday passed the lofty Tk4,00,266 crore annual budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. This is the last full annual budget of the incumbent Awami League government before the upcoming general elections in 2018.
Concerned ministers placed 60 demands for grants while the main opposition party and independent MPs placed 352 cut motions to clear the legal basis at Jatiya Sangsad. The demands for grants were approved by the House through voice votes.
House Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury had applied guillotines, or finite debate times, to quicken the process approving demands for grants from the different ministries.
The Appropriation Bill 2017, seeking Tk5,35,214 crore, was also passed unanimously.
Although independent and opposition MPs were present at the house, no objections were raised regarding the appropriation bill.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith on June 1 proposed a Tk4,00,266 crore national budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year, eyeing a 7.4% GDP growth rate.
The last full budget of the present government, ammounting to about 18% of the national GDP, also looks to contain the average inflation rate to 5.5 %.