PESHAWAR, June 28: The NWFP assembly on Wednesday approved 45 demands for a cumulative grant of Rs4.082 billion to meet additional expenditures shown in revised estimates of the budget for 2004-05.

Speaking on the matter, Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party said that over Rs170 million had been spent by the health department last year, yet it had failed to improve its performance during this period. He said people were not satisfied with the working of the health department.

Some of the cut motions tabled by the opposition lawmakers were either defeated by treasury benches or withdrawn by the members themselves.

In his lengthy speech, Abdul Akbar Khan of the opposition People’s Party Parliamentarians said it was not a supplementary and added that instead it reflected excess expenditures by the government.

“The annual budget reflects allocations approved by the assembly. We first approve it and then spend it. But in case of supplementary budget, we spend first and seek its approval later,” he said.

Similarly, he said, the finance minister had assured the house that there would be no increase in the revenue budget, but the government was seeking the approval of Rs1.67 billion, which was an excess budget.

The government had spent Rs3 billion on those schemes which had not been identified in the annual development programme and added that in this way the government had deprived some of the districts of their rights.

He said the provincial government had enhanced the size of the ADP and increased the throw-forward liability by 40 per cent.

Opposition leader Shahzada Gustasip Khan, Yasmeen Khalid, Qari Abdullah Bangash, Ms Rukhsana of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Zar Gul Khan of the PML also spoke.

Concluding the budget debate, Finance Minister Sirajul Haq said it had been a routine practice; whenever the government spent additional amount it brought the matter to the house for approval. He said they had not deviated from the constitutional practice.

After a lengthy debate, the house also adopted the Public Accounts Committee’s report for the year 1997-98.

WAGE BOARD AWARD: Meanwhile, the house unanimously adopted two identical resolutions tabled by the combined opposition and treasury benches, calling upon the federal and NWFP governments to immediately implement the Seventh Wage Board Award for newspapers workers.