Supplementary demand for grants

Context:

The Lok Sabha has passed the supplementary demand for grants (second batch for 2020-21).

Supplementary Grants

• Supplementary Grant: It is granted when the amount authorized by the Parliament through the appropriation act for a particular service for the current financial year is found to be insufficient for that year.
  • It is specified by the Article 115 of the constitution of India, along with Additional and Excess Grants.

Procedure to be followed:

1. When grants, authorised by the Parliament, fall short of the required expenditure, an estimate is presented before the Parliament for Supplementary or Additional grants.
2. These grants are presented and passed by the Parliament before the end of the financial year.
3. When actual expenditure incurred exceeds the approved grants of the Parliament, the Ministry of Finance presents a Demand for Excess Grant.
4. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India bring such excesses to the notice of the Parliament.
5. The Public Accounts Committee examines these excesses and gives recommendations to the Parliament.
6. The Demand for Excess Grants is made after the actual expenditure is incurred and is presented to the Parliament after the end of the financial year in which the expenses were made.

• Other Grants:
  
  • In addition to the budget that contains the ordinary estimates of income and expenditure for one financial year, various other grants are made by the Parliament under extraordinary or special circumstances. Apart from Supplementary Grants, these include:
  • Additional Grant: It is granted when a need has arisen during the current financial year for additional expenditure upon some new service not contemplated in the budget for that year.
  • Excess Grant : It is granted when money has been spent on any service during a financial year in excess of the amount granted for that service in the budget for that year. It is voted by the Lok Sabha after the financial year. Before the demands for excess grants are submitted to the Lok Sabha for voting, they must be approved by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.
  • Vote of Credit: It is granted for meeting an unexpected demand upon the resources of India, when on account of the magnitude or the indefinite character of the service, the demand cannot be stated with the details ordinarily given in a budget. Hence, it is like a blank cheque given to the Executive by the Lok Sabha.
  • Exceptional Grant: It is granted for a special purpose and forms no part of the current service of any financial year.
  • Token Grant: It is granted when funds to meet the proposed expenditure on a new service can be made available by reappropriation. A demand for the grant of a token sum (of Re 1) is submitted to the vote of the Lok Sabha and if assented, funds are made available.
    • Reappropriation involves transfer of funds from one head to another. It does not involve any additional expenditure

• Votes on account, votes of credit and exceptional grants are specified in Article 116 of the constitution.
• Supplementary, additional, excess and exceptional grants and vote of credit are regulated by the same procedure which is applicable in the case of a regular budget.

Source: The Hindu