📜 Article 203 of the Indian Constitution
Title: Procedure in Legislature with respect to estimates
🔹 Text Summary:
Article 203 lays down the procedure for voting on the estimates (expenditures) presented in the Annual Financial Statement (State Budget) under Article 202.
📌 Clause-wise Breakdown:
| Clause | Provision |
|---|---|
| (1) | After the Annual Financial Statement (Budget) is laid before the Legislative Assembly, the House shall vote on the estimates relating to votable expenditure. |
| 🔹 Charged expenditures are not voted. | |
| (2) | The Legislative Assembly can: |
| – Approve expenditure | |
| – Reduce it | |
| – Refuse to vote the expenditure (in rare cases) | |
| 👉 This is done through Demand for Grants for each department/ministry. | |
| (3) | No demand for a grant shall be made except on the recommendation of the Governor. |
| 👉 This ensures executive control over financial proposals. |
🧠 Key Takeaways:
-
Establishes legislative control over government spending.
-
The Assembly can scrutinize and vote on how public money is spent.
-
The Governor’s recommendation is required to initiate spending proposals.
-
Reflects the principle of legislative supremacy in financial matters.
📊 Types of Grants:
| Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Voted Grants | For normal government expenditure (needs voting) |
| Charged Expenditure | Automatically approved (e.g., Governor’s salary) |
| Supplementary/Excess Grants | For unexpected or extra expenditure |
🏛️ Example Process in State Assembly:
-
📄 Annual Budget presented (Article 202)
-
🗳️ Demand for Grants for each department is discussed and voted (Article 203)
-
📦 Appropriation Bill passed to authorize expenditure (Article 204)
⚖️ Related Articles:
| Article | Subject |
|---|---|
| 202 | Annual Financial Statement (Budget) |
| 203 | Voting on expenditure estimates (grants) |
| 204 | Appropriation Bills |
| 266 | Consolidated Fund of the State |
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