Lower house approves 117 demands of grants
Saad khan 
Islamabad: The National Assembly on Tuesday approved 117 demands for grants totaling Rs6.87 trillion for various federal ministries and their departments for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. The approval came despite opposition efforts to introduce cut motions.
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, presented the demands for grants, which the assembly passed by a majority vote. The opposition had moved more than 55 cut motions on the 12 demands of Rs41.7 billion for the Cabinet Division alone. Additionally, they proposed 97 cut motions on two demands totaling Rs701.1 billion for the Ministry of Energy (Power and Petroleum Divisions).
The opposition's motions included 77 cut motions on a single demand of Rs681.75 billion for the Power Division and 20 cut motions on a demand of Rs19.3 billion for the Petroleum Division. However, all opposition cut motions were opposed by the finance minister and subsequently rejected through voice voting in the house.
During the debate on these cut motions, opposition members harshly criticized the government for the perceived failures of various ministries and departments. Despite this, the demands for grants were approved, covering a wide range of sectors including Defense Division, Communications, Federal Education and Professional Training, Climate Change, Geological Survey of Pakistan, National Heritage and Culture Division, Housing and Works Division, Human Rights Division, Industries and Production, Information and Broadcasting Division, IT and Telecommunication Division, Combined Civil Armed Forces, Inter-Provincial Coordination Division, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Division, Maritime Affairs Division, Narcotics Control Division, National Assembly, The Senate, National Health Services, Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Parliamentary Affairs Division, Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Division, Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, Privatization Division, Pakistan Railways, Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Division, Science and Technology Division, States and Frontier Regions, Water Resources Division, Aviation Division, and Commerce Division.
The finance minister's firm stance against the opposition's cut motions ensured that the proposed budget allocations for the upcoming fiscal year were passed without any reductions, reflecting the government's financial priorities and commitments.
