PTI manages to get budget approved in NA.

ISLAMABAD -- Amid a noisy protest by the opposition in the national opposition, the PTI-led coalition government on Monday got approved with a majority vote the finance bill for next fiscal year 2020-21 with total outlay of Rs 7.136 trillion.

The PTI government, in its second federal budget 2020-21, rejected all nine amendments moved by the opposition with majority of votes. The opposition faced defeat with 41 votes, when it challenged the government on its last [ninth] amendment.

The opposition with the support of two members from a former allied partner of PTI's government [BNP-Mengal], were 119 in the house, whereas, 160 members from treasury benches were present in the house at the time of voting.

The ruling party [PTI], during the voting in the house, got the support of its coalition partners including MQM-P, PML-Q and GDA while BNP-Mengal did not support the government as around a week ago it had announced to quit the ruling alliance.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, amid desk-thumping from treasury benches, participated in the middle of the proceedings. Unlike the thin presence in the last two weeks, the house witnessed 279 members in the house. Many of the members apparently due to scare of COVID-19 and some of them, who were recently tested positive of coronavirus, did not attend the proceedings.

The opposition lawmakers, during the speeches of government members kept raising anti-government slogans.

The government had presented its second federal budget on 12 June. The government during the session faced criticism for not increasing salaries and pensions of government employees. The opposition members in their speeches were unsatisfied with the allocations for agriculture, health and education sectors. The allocation for the construction of dams at the time of corona crisis was also termed irrational in the budget for the next year.

The total size of the budget for the next year is Rs7.136 trillion, with a deficit of Rs3.437 trillion (7 percent of GDP). The main strategy of the present government is to provide relief to the masses by not imposing any new tax, which it believes, would help increase the economic activities in the country.

Of the total, current expenditure for the next fiscal is budgeted at Rs6.345 trillion. The government has allocated Rs1.289 trillion for defence, Rs2.946 trillion for interest payment, Rs650 billion for federal development budget, Rs470 billion for pension, Rs209 billion for subsidies and Rs476 billion...