The government's cash balance up to December reached Tk 12,000 crore on receipt of more foreign aid and revenue but low expenditure, according to a finance ministry report on macro-economic situation.

This report was placed Sunday before a high-profile meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Higher savings instrument sales this time also led to the surge in the cash balance, a certain amount of which the government always needs to keep reserved, officials said.

As per the report, around Tk 39,560 crore or 34.8 percent of the national budget for fiscal year 2009-10 was spent during July-December. The total budget size isTk 1,13,819 crore.

Of the amount already spent, revenue expenditure in the first six months of the current fiscal stood at Tk 30,753 crore, or 36.9 percent of the allocated Tk83,319crore.

Meantime, the amount spent for the annual development programme (ADP) isTk 8,807 crore, or 29 percent of theADP size ofTk30,500 crore.

Usually, revenue expenditure every year goes above the amount allocated, while ADP implementation lags behind.

Pointing to an exception this time, the ministry officials said the expenditure remained comparatively low because the new pay scale as per the government announcement is yet to be in force. They also pointed to the fact that a large portion of the money allocated for subsidy remained unutilised during the time-

Agriculture subsidy, employment programme, interest payment and cost of food procurement are lower than those were in the same period a year earlier.

No subsidy was given to the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation in the six months, the finance ministry further reported.

On revenue earnings, it said Tk 35,115 crore, or 44.2 percent of the targeted amount has been collected.

The foreign aid received is Tk 6073 crore. It was Tk 1112 crore in the same period a year ago.

In the second quarter of the financial year, $649 million was received from Asian Development Bank, a major contributor to the aid.

The savings instrument sales surged 203 percent to Tk 5176 crore in July-December. The figure was Tk 1706 crore during the time last fiscal.

Meanwhile, the amount the government so far borrowed from such instruments has surpassed the Tk 3277crore target.