KABUL (SW): As the fiscal year nears its end, up to 11 ministries have failed to properly utilize their development budgets.
Documents provided to Salam Watandar by the Ministry of Finance indicate the Ministry of Transport has so far utilized only 19.8 per cent of its development budget. It is followed by the Ministry of Education with only 25.4 per cent utilization of the development budget, the Ministry of Information and Culture with 26.9 per cent, Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs with 28.2 per cent, and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology follow with just 29.9 per cent utilization.
The list of poorly performing ministries in this regard also include Ministry of Mines and Petroleum with 30.1 per cent utilization of its development budget, Ministry of Trade and Commerce with 32.4 per cent, Ministry of Justice with 39.1 per cent, Ministry of Water and Energy 41.5 per cent, Ministry of Border and Tribal Affairs with 41.5 per cent, and Ministry of Public Works with 43.3 per cent utilization of the development budgets.
The MoF list indicates that a total of 14 ministries have been quite successful in utilizing from 50 to 70 per cent of their development budgets in this fiscal year. In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has utilized 52.5 per cent, Ministry of Interior 51.3 per cent, Ministry of Defense 51.4 per cent, Ministry of Urban Development Affairs 51.8 per cent, Ministry of Higher Education 53.8 per cent, Ministry of Public Welfare 66.3 per cent, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development 47.3 per cent, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock 73.6 per cent, Ministry of Counter Narcotics 55.8 per cent, Ministry of Women Affairs 66.8 per cent, Ministry of Refugees and Repatriates 70.9 per cent, Ministry of Commerce 50.8 per cent, Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled 54.7 per cent, and the Ministry of Finance with 74.4 per cent utilization of the budget.
Ajman Hameed Abdul Rahimzay, spokesman for the MoF, told Salam Watandar that it is hoped the ministries lagging behind in utilization of the budget would catch-up in the remaining days of the current fiscal year.
The National Directorate of Security has managed to utilize 98.7 per cent of its development budget in the first 11 months of the fiscal year. There are, however, a number of organizations that have failed to utilize even 40 per cent of their development budget.
Hikmat Qawanej, spokesman for the Ministry of Transport, has said a number of development projects got delayed that resulted in underutilization of the budget. Najib Nangyal, spokesman for the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, vowed utilization of up to 70 per cent of the development budget would be utilized by the end of the fiscal year.
According to Rahimzay, the ministries with better utilization of the development budget would receive its benefits in the next fiscal year.
It is worth noticing, the Wolesi Jirga (lower house) had summoned up to 16 ministers over the issue, and denied the vote of confidence to 7 of them for failing to utilize up to 70 per cent of the development budget.
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