DMK MLA P.T.R. Palanivel Thiagarajan on Tuesday said that legislative approval is mandatory for modifying budgetary allocation.
Referring to Tamil Development Minister ‘Ma Foi’ K.Pandiarajan’s remarks in The Hindu that all departments were reworking their variable expenditure by at least 25% [in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic], he said such cutting down of variable spends by 25% was complicated by three factors. First, the ratio of discretionary (projects, schemes, etc.) vs. non-discretionary (salaries, pensions, etc.) costs varied greatly between departments; two, the ratio of capital expense vs. revenue expenses (in their total grant) also varied across departments; and third, the size of grants varied greatly across departments.
On the AIADMK rejecting DMK president M.K. Stalin’s demand for a fresh amended budget, he said, in Karnataka Chief Minister B.S.Yedyurappa has “acceded to the opposition leader D.K. Shivakumar’s request to reconvene the Assembly to pass an amended budget”.
The DMK MLA asked if Mr. Pandiarajan would accuse the Karnataka Chief Minister of wasting people’s time.
Mr. Thiagarajan said, “as per our Constitution, it is not up to the discretion of any minister, whether they want to spend or “save” (cut back spending) on any line item or project that has been approved in that Department’s Demand for Grant”.
