Maharashtra: Winter session saw the highest supplementary demands in 2013

By Kartik Lokhande  
Supplementary Demands form an important legislative business during winter session of State Legislature held at Nagpur. Records reveal that the highest-ever supplementary demands presented before both the Houses was in the year 2013 during the regime of erstwhile Democratic Front (DF) Government led by Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance.
In 2013, the DF Government presented supplementary demands of a whopping Rs 11,695.58 crore. To be precise, the figure was Rs 1,16,95,58,70,000/-. Sadly, that year, there was little disussion on such a huge amount of supplementary demands as there was pandemonium in both the Houses of State Legislature. But, that was not the only year when supplementary demands were passed with little discussion. On several occasions, in the last 16 years, supplementary demands were passed in this manner.
As is the case, supplementary demands are presented by the Government when it feels the need for approval of the State Legislature to expenditure in addition to the budgetary estimates. In the initial years, said an official, supplementary demands were presented by the Government to make financial provisions to meet unforeseen expenditure like in case of payment of compensation to victims of floods, earthquakes, or farmers who lost crops due to natural calamities etc. However, in the later years, supplementary demands were presented even to meet committed expenditures like payment of electricity or telephone or other bills of various Government offices, payment of salaries and allowances of various Government officials etc.
The highest supplementary demands were presented in winter session-2013, since it was pre-election year. DF Government made new commitments and announcements, for which it required more funds. However, not many of these projects could be realised before the DF was ousted from power in Assembly elections. Previously also, during DF tenure, the highest supplementary demands were presented in the years 2000 (Rs 95,91,66,44,000); 2008 (Rs 93,58,48,54,000); 2009 (Rs 94,46,82,31,000). Of these, the year 2000 was the very next year of DF coming to power, and it wanted to show that it was committed to development of the State. Similarly, 2008 was pre-election year; and 2009 was the first year after coming to power for third time in a row.

Will BJP-Sena Govt walk the talk now?
Devendra Fadnavis, who is now Chief Minister, had led the charge on the DF Government when BJP was in the Opposition in 2013. He had accused the DF Government of violating the Governor’s directives by not presenting before the State Legislature the statement of expenditure while putting up supplementary demands.
Fadnavis had accused the Government of resorting to ‘financial indiscipline’ by way of getting passed supplementary demands without citing how and where was the amount going to be spent. This had forced the then Government to request to the then Governor K Sankaranarayanan to allow passage of supplementary demands with an undertaking that the Government would furnish financial statement on details of expenditure during the Budget Session in March 2014.
In December 2014, during winter session, the sides had changed. BJP and Shiv Sena were on Treasury benches and the Congress and NCP formed the Opposition. During that session, BJP-Sena Government presented supplementary demands of Rs 82,01,85,45,000/-. Now, again, winter session is here. It remains to be seen if the BJP-Sena Government presents a modest supplementary demands or crosses the mark of Rs 8,201 crore. Also, it will be interesting to see if BJP-Sena Government walks the talk and circulates the details of how and where would the amount of supplementary grants be spent.

----------------- BOX ----------------
Supplementary Demands during Nagpur session
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Year         Supplementary Demands
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1999         Rs 2455,68,16,000
2000         Rs 9591,66,44,000
2001         Rs 1671,50,21,000
2002         Rs 5517,28,19,000
2003         Rs 4789,06,96,000
2004         Rs 4584,60,97,000
2005         Rs 6364,07,48,000
2006         Rs 7057,76,98,000
2007         Rs 4617,03,84,000
2008         Rs 9358,48,54,000
2009         Rs 9446,82,31,000
2010         Rs 7168,46,82,000
2011         Rs 6328,77,69,000
2012         Rs 5371,90,32,000
2013         Rs 11695,58,70,000
2014         Rs 8201,85,45,000
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(04-12-15)