77. The present financial procedure in the federal sphere is laid down in sections 33-37 of the Government of India Act, 1935. The corresponding clauses in the Draft Constitution as prepared by the Secretariat of the Constituent Assembly are 74, 75 and 77-81. We have two recommendations to make:
(1) When a Money Bill is sent from the Lower House to the Upper, a certificate of the Speaker of the Lower House saying that it is a Money Bill should be attached to, or endorsed on, the bill and a provision to that effect should be made in the Constitution on the lines of the corresponding provision in the Parliament Act, 1911.
This will prevent controversies about the matter outside the Lower House.
(2) After clause 80, a provision may be made making it necessary for Government to approach the Legislature for regularizing any excess expenditure that might be discovered in audit after the close of the year. This is, in fact, done even now, but there is no statutory obligation to do so.
Subject to these two recommendations, we approve of the provisions in the Draft Constitution.