Senate approves 399bn afs draft budget for 1398

KABUL or Senate on Sunday approved the draft national budget for 1398 fiscal year by making some suggestions.

Afghanistan’s fiscal year begins on December 22. The Meshrano Jirga, which received the proposed budget on November 11, will send the document back to the Ministry of Finance with certain recommendations.

The 1397 fiscal year’s general budget was 267 billion afghanis and development budget was more than 90 billion afghanis.

Mohammad Azim Quyash, head of the economy and budget commission of the upper house, presented information about the next year’s budget to senators.

He said that the 1398 fiscal year’s budget had been prepared based on the government resources and capabilities of departments.

He said that 581 transitional projects and 33 new projects had been added to the budget plan of 1398 fiscal year.

Quyash said 188 billion afghanis would come from domestic revenues and the rest in form of foreign aid.

“From a total of 124 billion afghanis development budget, 61 billion afghanis is optional and 63 billion afghanis is non-optional which would be utilized by donor countries and international organizations.”

He said most of the budget went to security, infrastructure, health sectors.

He said suggestions of the upper house about the budget were shared with economy commission and would be also referred to the Ministry of Finance in written form.

He did not provide information about the recommendations of other senators but said the suggestions concerned 55 areas.

Finally the Senate approved 275 billion afghanis for general and 124 billion afghanis for development budget with a majority vote and some recommendations.

Under Article 98 of the Constitution, the general and development budgets are prepared in light of Meshrano Jirga’s recommendations before being sent to the Wolesi Jirga for final approval.

mds/ma