Rs 3,000
It has been a long standing debate that the Standing Committees of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab should have an enhanced role in the budget making and scrutinizing of the budgetary Demands for grants. Punjab Assembly has taken a lead by introducing the pre-budget session to give a chance to the members of the Provincial Assembly to put forward their suggestions for the provincial budget. However, a need is felt for more focused deliberations on the subject. There is a growing realization amongst the members of the Punjab Assembly that the control and scrutiny of the Provincial Budget is one of the most important powers of the Provincial Assembly. It is the floor of the assembly that is the most appropriate place to ensure that the budget best matches the needs and expectations of the Citizen’s with the resources available to the Provincial Government. Such an exercise demands detailed engagement of the Standing Committees of the Provincial Assembly. This paper serves as a guide for the Standing Committees of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab on how to understand and scrutinise the budget to make sure that it reflects 3 principles of good budgeting including financial discipline, provincial priorities and value for money. This paper is authored by Mr. Nohman Ishtiaq who is a Public Financial Management Specialist and is currently advising the Federal Government. He has helped the Government in implementing country-wide reform programmes related to Financial Management. Professionally he is a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Management Accountant from the United Kingdom.
