Islamabad: The National Assembly has given its approval to 125 demands for grants concerning a range of ministries, divisions, and departments for the upcoming financial year. The grants, proposed by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, faced no cut motions on 89 of these submissions, spanning various sectors including atomic energy, climate change, commerce, and national security.

According to Radio Pakistan, among the approved demands were also those related to critical areas such as defense services, education and professional training, foreign affairs, and health services. Additionally, 18 demands for grants related to the Cabinet Secretariat received the assembly’s nod. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhary, addressing the discussion on cut motions, highlighted that there is no increase in the budget for the Prime Minister’s House for the next fiscal year, maintaining allocations at the 2025-26 levels.

In a related development, the Minister for Power, Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, reported a reduction in the Power Division’s financial burden from 1,287 billion rupees to 700 billion rupees over two years, achieving savings of 587 billion rupees. He noted a significant decrease in circular debt and losses of Power Distribution Companies, attributing these to renegotiated agreements with Independent Power Producers. Furthermore, economic load-shedding is being phased out, with a focus on loss-making transformers.

The House also approved six demands for energy-related grants, alongside twelve for the Finance Division. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb expressed optimism in meeting the tax revenue objectives for the next fiscal year without imposing new taxes, emphasizing a recovery of 450 billion rupees through litigation. All cut motions were rejected by the House, which is scheduled to reconvene the following morning.