Lok Sabha on Tuesday approved the regularisation of Rs 54,067.46 crore of central government expenditure incurred in 2022-23 over and above the amounts it had originally sanctioned, with repayment of debt alone accounting for Rs 53,871.01 crore, or 99.6 per cent, of the overshoot.
The Appropriation Bill, 2026, which authorises the withdrawal of the excess sums from the Consolidated Fund of India for the financial year ended March 31, 2023, was passed by a voice vote amid protests from the Opposition. The House was adjourned for the day following persistent sloganeering, and will reconvene on Wednesday at 11 am.
The Bill, moved by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, puts the aggregate figure at ₹54,067 crore. It covers only two of the Centre's demands for grants, and in both cases the entire excess falls under the charged head, with a nil voted portion.
The Bill was taken up after the House concluded discussion on the Demands for Excess Grants for 2022-23. It was introduced in pursuance of the revised List of Business issued by the House, on the same day the Finance Minister moved for leave to introduce the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, the Income-tax Act, 2025, and the Finance Act, 2026.
Excess expenditure is first flagged by the Comptroller and Auditor General in the Appropriation Accounts, and demands for excess grants must be approved by the Public Accounts Committee before they are submitted to the Lok Sabha for voting.
