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HOUSE Speaker Jagdeo Singh was given a "baptism of fire" as he chaired his first Standing Finance Committee (SFC) sitting in the House of Representatives of Parliament on June 16.

Singh had the unenviable task of managing an often fiery and heated back-and-forth exchange between government and opposition members as the committee was called to consider an over $3 billion budgetary supplementation for ministries and other state institutions.

After a marathon sitting which started at 1.30 pm and ended almost six hours later, the supplementation of appropriation in the sum of $3,143,983,761 was passed by the committee by simple majority.