Voted expenditure
Topic: Parliamentary Procedure, Committees and Privileges · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Voted expenditure is spending from the Consolidated Fund of India that the Lok Sabha must approve by vote. It is presented as demands for grants, usually one for each ministry or department. Under Art. 113(2), the Lok Sabha can approve, reduce or refuse a demand, but it cannot increase it. Most government spending is voted expenditure. Only the Lok Sabha votes on it; the Rajya Sabha can only discuss it.
Example
The demand for grants of a ministry, covering its schemes and staff, is put to the Lok Sabha's vote. Any demands still undiscussed on the last day allotted are put to vote together by the guillotine. In the 17th Lok Sabha, about 80% of budgets were voted this way (PRS).
Don't confuse with
- Charged expenditure (Art. 112(3)): this can be discussed but is not voted on. Examples are the President's emoluments, Supreme Court judges' salaries and the CAG's salary. Keeping it out of the vote protects the independence of these offices.
Related concepts
- No tax without authority of law
- Consolidated Fund of India
- Public Account of India
- Contingency Fund of India
- Charged expenditure
- Union Budget
- Interim budget