Senate set to debate next year’s budget

KABUL): Next year’s draft budget, with a total outlay of 366.2 billion afghanis ($6.856 billion), was submitted for debate to the Senate — or upper house of parliament — on Tuesday.

For the next fiscal year, starting on Dec. 21, the general budget has been projected at 196.2 billion afs, showing a 46 percent increase, and the development spending at 170 billion afs, indicating a rise of 47 percent.

The proposed accounts are 119 billion afs more than the current year’s budget, with a development allocation of 111 billion afs. The general budget for 2012 was fixed at 136 billion afs.

As approved by the Wolesi Jirga, or the lower house of parliament, the new fiscal year will start on Dec. 21, 2012 instead of March 22.

Addressing the Meshrano Jirga session, Finance Minister Hazrat Omar Zakhelwal said 72 percent of the general budget would be spent on funding salaries, 14 percent on procurement and services and the rest on miscellaneous expenses of government institutions.

More attention would be paid to the implementation of infrastructure projects in health and higher education sectors, the minister promised.

The volume of next year’s budget was hiked on the basis of an agreement between Afghanistan and the international community at the Tokyo Conference to step up the country’s infrastructure development, he added.

Representatives from more than 80 countries and international organisations participated in conference on July 8 to pledge support for Afghanistan’s development. The international community has pledged $18 billion in assistance to the country for four years from 2013 to 2016.

Under Article 98 of the constitution, the state budget and development plan of the government are submitted through the Meshrano Jirga along with advisory comments to the Wolesi Jirga.

myn/mud

Visits: 0