4. Voting on Demands for Grants

1. Ministry-Wise Voting: The demands for grants are presented ministry-wise in the Lok Sabha. Each demand is taken up separately for discussion and voting.

2. Exclusive Privilege of the Lok Sabha: Voting on demands for grants is the exclusive privilege of the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha can discuss the demands but does not have the power to vote on them.

3. Charged Expenditure Not Voted: While the Lok Sabha votes on the votable part of the budget, the expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India is not subject to a vote. Such expenditure can be discussed but not voted upon.

4. Cut Motions: Members of Parliament can move cut motions to reduce any demand for grant. These motions allow MPs to express their disapproval or suggest alternatives to the government's proposed expenditure. There are three types of cut motions:
➤ Policy Cut Motion: It represents disapproval of the policy underlying the demand and proposes a reduction of the demand to Re 1.
➤ Economy Cut Motion: It suggests a specific amount by which the demand should be reduced, representing potential economy in the proposed expenditure.
➤ Token Cut Motion: It proposes a reduction of ₹100 to raise a specific grievance within the government's sphere of responsibility.

5. Significance of Cut Motions: Cut motions serve two key purposes:
➤ Discussion: They facilitate concentrated discussion on specific demands for grants.
➤ Accountability: They uphold the principle of responsible government by probing the government's activities and decisions.

6. Limited Practical Utility: In practice, cut motions are mostly moved and discussed in the House but not passed, as the government generally enjoys majority support. Passing a cut motion would imply a lack of parliamentary confidence in the government and could lead to its resignation.

7. Guillotine: On the last day allotted for discussion and voting on demands for grants, the Speaker puts all remaining demands to vote and disposes of them, whether or not they have been discussed. This is known as the "guillotine" and ensures the timely completion of the budget process.