BANGKOK, Jan 8 (TNA) – The House of Representatives planned to conclude the second and third readings of the 2020 budget bill within Friday while the chief of the House committee on budgetary scrutiny said the national budget was adjusted to better serve national strategies and government policies.
For the budget bill debate, opposition chief whip Sutin Klangsaeng and House Speaker Chuan Leekpai agreed that each MP should have 7-10 minutes for their speech and the government and the opposition would manage to conclude the deliberation within Friday. Mr Chuan told MPs to stay close to the session chamber because they would have to vote for at least 52 issues.
Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana, in his capacity as the chairman of the House committee scrutinizing the budget bill, said that the bill prioritized national strategies, national economic and social development plans and government policies.
According to him, the national budget for fiscal 2020 was cut by 16.23 billion baht from non-urgent projects such as training, consultancy and delayed and duplicated projects.
The saved budget was directed to the Senate secretariat, the House secretariat, the Office of the Constitutional Court, the Office of the Court of Justice, the Office of the Administrative Court, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Office of the Attorney-General, the State Audit Office, the Social Security Office and the Equitable Education Fund for their implementation of national strategies. (TNA)
