Wolesi Jirga defers draft budget plan approval

KABUL to next session for clarification of some parts of the plan.

Afghanistan fiscal year starts on December 22.

The Meshrano Jirga or upper house has approved the draft budget plan with some suggestions on December 3.

According to Article 98 of the Constitution, the government’s budget and development programs are first referred to Meshrano Jirga and then to Wolesi Jirga for approval.

Sayed Azim Kabarzani, secretary of Finance and Budget Commission of Wolesi Jirga, introduced the draft budget plan for 1399 solar year in today’s session of the house.

He said the budget with a total outlay of over 415 billion contained more than 289 billion afghanis as general and over 139 billion afghanis as development budget.

He added more than 208 billion afghanis would be generated form internal resources and 207 billion afghanis from foreign sources.

Some commissions of Wolesi Jirga have shared their concerns and suggestions regarding problems in the next year’s budget plan, Kabarzani said.

 “Changes and addition of organizations in some budgetary units, problems in the statute of implementation of the budget and concerns in this area, lack of adequate information about the personnel of NTI and non-implementation of projects from last previous are concerns of Wolesi Jirga,” he said.

Ghulam Sarwar Saadat, a lawmaker from Takhar province,  to pointing spending of operative money, said the public should be provided explanation where the operative money was spent.

He said the ministries of higher education and education should be provided with more budget.

A number of other lawmakers also expressed their concerns about the issues mentioned above.

Mir Rahman Rahmani, Wolesi Jirga speaker, said the draft budget plan would not be decided today. He asked Finance and Budget Commission of the house to discuss issues in the budget plan with the Ministry of Finance.

On the other hand, the lower house approved a loan of $65 million from Italy for construction of fourth part of second phase Khawaf-Herat Railway.

The document for the loan was approved by a majority except six from the total 146 lawmakers present in the house today.

The Wolesi Jirga also approved the Road Transport Law in today’s session.

Mds/ma