162 MPs vote in favour of Budget second Reading

Lawmakers passed the second reading of the Appropriation Bill 2017 yesterday in Parliament, bringing the six allocated days for debate to an end. 

The vote was taken by name after Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake asked for a division, where 162 voted in favour while 55 votes were against it. Seven members including former President and Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa were not present in the House to vote.

The Tamil national Alliance (TNA) voted in support of the Budget along with MPs Arumugam Thondaman and Douglas Devananda while Members of the Joint Opposition group and the JVP MPs voted against it.

With the Committee Stage starting today, parliamentarians will join the debates on the allocations made for ministries and their respective payment schedules. The final vote is scheduled to take place on 10 December bringing Budget 2017 to an end. (AH)