Cabinet approves third revised draft budget for 2021

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Cabinet has approved the third revised draft budget for fiscal year 2021 meeting most of lawmakers demands, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) said on Wednesday.

Earlier, the Wolesi Jirga or Lower House of Parliament had rejected twice the draft budget over elimination of provincial development schemes, increased funds of exceptional budgetary units and lack of balance in salary scales of government employees.

The Wolesi Jirga again discussed the draft budget on Wednesday.

According to the Finance and Budgetary Commission of the Wolesi Jirga, the government provided around six billion afghanis last year for salaries of NTA scale employees.

Finance Commission Secretary Syed AzeemKabarzani said majority of these salaries were paid to Ministry of Public Health officials. He said if NTA salaries had declined from 250,000afs to 150,000afs, the government could increase salaries of other civil servants.

The lowest salary of a government employee is around 8,000 afs. Kabarzani added the delay in the budget approval should not be linked with non-payment of government employees’ salaries.

Mohammad NaseemMudabir, a lawmaker from Baghlan province, said: “We cannot compromise on the rights of government employees and our forces. The government should ensure balance in the budget.”

“Fortunately, the Presidential Palace after a strong resistance from lawmakers agreed to divert 5 billion afghanis from high salaries to the salaries of ordinary employees.”

Lawmaker Kamal NasirUsuli said a balance among government employees was not possible and if the government had brought changes to balance salaries, then the Wolesi Jirga should approve the budget and should not keep it hostage.

Speaker Mir RahmanRahmani said the Wolesi Jirga was in quest of justice and for this purpose had rejected the budget.

He said the right of employee and security personnel had been stolen and everyone wanted their salaries to increase.

“The government besides addressing public problems also strived to draw lines among lawmakers. 72 percent population of the county live below the poverty line, there is no economic progress, unemployment and insecurity has increased, but the government wants to fuel differences among lawmakers but such attempts would never succeed,” said Rahmani.

FaridNawasht, MoF assistant spokesperson, said the Cabinet on Wednesday approved the draft budget 2021 and would send it to the Wolesi Jirga for approval.

nh/ma

Views: 121