Clause 23

by deleting clause (1) and substituting the following clause:“(1) The President may, acting in his discretion, withhold his assent to any Supply, Supplementary Supply or Final Supply Bill for any financial year if, in his opinion, the estimates of revenue and expenditure for that year, the supplementary estimates or the statement of excess, as the case may be, are likely to lead to a drawing on the reserves which were not accumulated by the Government during its current term of office, except that if the President assents to any such Bill notwithstanding his opinion that the estimates, supplementary estimates or statement of excess are likely to lead to a drawing on those reserves, the President shall state his opinion in writing addressed to the Speaker and shall cause his opinion to be published in the Gazette.”;

by deleting paragraphs (a) and (b) of the proviso to clause (2) and substituting the following paragraphs:“(a)where the President withholds his assent to a Supply Bill, the expenditure so authorised for any service or purpose for that financial year (which shall include any amount authorised under Article 148B(4)) shall not exceed the total amount appropriated for that service or purpose in the preceding financial year; or

where the President withholds his assent to a Supplementary Supply Bill or Final Supply Bill, the expenditure so authorised for any service or purpose shall not exceed the amount necessary to replace an amount advanced from any Contingencies Fund under Article 148C(1) for that service or purpose.”;

by deleting clause (3) and substituting the following clauses:“(3) For the purposes of paragraph (a) of the proviso to clause (2), the total amount appropriated for any service or purpose in any financial year shall be ascertained by adding the sums appropriated for such service or purpose by the Supply law, Supplementary Supply law and Final Supply law (if any) for that financial year.(3A) Upon the passing of a resolution under clause (2), the Minister responsible for finance shall introduce in Parliament a Supply Bill, Supplementary Supply Bill or Final Supply Bill, as the case may be, containing, under appropriate heads, the sums so voted on by Parliament.”; and

by inserting, immediately after the words “Supplementary Supply Bill” wherever they appear in clause (4), the words “or Final Supply Bill”.