The state legislative Assembly today passed the first supplementary demand for grant of Rs 16,859.98 crore as well as the Bihar Appropriation (No.3) Bill.
The Appropriation Bill authorises withdrawal of the supplementary demand from the treasury to meet various outstanding expenditure in addition to those sanctioned in the budget for 2016-17.
The two financial bills were passed by voice vote amid a walkout by the Opposition at the fag end of the day's proceedings on the penultimate day of the five-day Monsoon Session of the state legislature.
The opposition members walked out from the House during a reply by rural development minister Shrawan Kumar on a debate on his department's supplementary demand to the tune of Rs 3,657.52 crore.
Protesting against police lathicharge on Dalit students demanding scholarship in the state capital, the BJP and other Opposition members trooped in the Well of the House and raised slogans against the state government for perpetrating atrocities against students of weaker sections before staging the walkout.
Kumar, however, went ahead with his speech and slammed the Centre for putting more financial burden on the state government by reducing its sharing ratio in executive of social welfare schemes to the ratio of 60:40 against 75:25 earlier.
He said undeterred by additional financial burden, the state government would execute Centrally-Sponsored Schemes (CSS) like Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act, Indira Awas Yojana and toilet schemes for the weaker sections by pooling in additional resources to meet the fiscal deficit arising due of the reduction of its sharing ratio by the Centre.
After conclusion of the rural development minister's
speech, Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary put the supplementary demand to voting, which was passed by voice vote.
Chaudhary later took the Bihar Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2016 for discussion and passage after finance minister Abdul Bari Siddique introduced the bill.
Siddique, in a brief speech, assailed the Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar for disruption in the House during discussion of financial business and said the latter should have participated in the debate that involved public interests at large.
Describing the Opposition's concern for the dalits as an eyewash, Siddique said for him, the attack on dalits in Gujarat was a matter of serious concern.
He said the passage of the Bihar Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2016 was mandatory as it required authorisation of the House for withdrawal of the sanctioned fund from the treasury for utilisation by various departments.
The House subsequently passed the Bill, again by voice vote with the Opposition benches remaining empty.
At the day's business drew to a close, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made a brief statement thanking the members and the Chair for passage of 13 legislations in the short Monsoon Session.
The Speaker also complimented the state government for bringing many legislations in the abridged session.
Earlier, the House witnessed a spar between the Treasury and Opposition members over mention of Gujarat and atrocities of dalits there with the presiding officers having a hard time to get on with the proceedings.
