Puducherry (PTI): Puducherry Assembly on Friday passed the Appropriation (Vote on Account) Bill 2008 sanctioning Rs 985.30 crore for the first four months from April.

Chief Minister N.Rangasamy, holding the Finance portfolio, tabled the Bill.

Earlier, the House adopted the supplementary demands for grant of funds (Rs 186 crore) for the current fiscal.

During the discussion, opposition AIADMK and PMC members said a full-fledged budget anticipating the entire financial expenditure for various schemes and programmes during a given fiscal be prepared so that there would be no need for supplementary demands at the fag end of the financial year.

A.Anbalagan (AIADMK) said it was amusing to see that the government was seeking the House's approval for supplementary grants when virtually the expenditure was already done.

K.Lakshinarayanan (PMC) said members were not given sufficient time to go through the supplementary demands.

Intervening, Rangasamy said seeking supplementary grants was not new and had been there in the past. Whenever new schemes were evolved or the expenditure shot up, there was need to seek supplementary grants, he said adding all the expenditure was meant to ameliorate the lot of the people.

The Speaker said in future all details and particulars as sought by the opposition would be available. After his assurance, the House voted the supplementary demands.

Earlier, as soon as the House assembled, obituary references were read out by the Speaker on the demise of Thavasu Nadar, who had served as pro tem Speaker of the ninth assembly, and retired Assembly Secretary A Mohandoss, who died during the inter-session period.

After the end of the day's business, the House was adjouned to April 2.