KUALA LUMPUR: The government is seeking an additional RM4.1 billion to supplement its 2018 budget.
The Supplementary Supply (2018) Bill 2019, which was tabled for the first reading in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, is to cover additional expenditure for operating expenses that were specified in last year’s budget.
This is on top of the RM280 billion 2018 budget allocation tabled by former premier Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
The Bill was tabled by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng (pix), who requested a sum of RM4,133,360,760 from the Consolidated Fund.
“This is for additional expenditure on the services and purposes specified in the schedule for the year 2018 not provided for or not fully provided for by the Supply Act 2018,” the bill reads.
The second reading is expected to be tabled in the current parliamentary sitting that ends on April 11.
According to the Bill, the largest amount sought is for the “Contribution to Statutory Funds” which amounted to RM1.92 billion.
This is followed by the Health Ministry (RM705.6 mil), Home Ministry (RM513.9 mil), Education Ministry (RM300 mil), Defence Ministry (RM226.2 mil) and the Prime Minister’s Department (RM215.4 mil).
Previously, in August last year, the Pakatan Harapan government had also sought to reallocate funding to ministries through a supplementary bill due to the restructuring of the ministries after the coalition’s takeover of the administration following the May 9 general election.
