KABUL (SW): Eklil Hakimi, Minister for Finance, presented the draft annual budget for 2017 worth some 466 billion afghanis to the Masharo Jirga (upper house) on Tuesday.
The annual budget has AFN 287 billion earmarked for expenditures and AFN 178 billion for development. Hakimi informed the house that up to 117 small and medium size development projects have been considered for the upcoming year, which is a large number.
The Minister added that priority has been given to the social sector development with infrastructure, agriculture, education and health having 35.6 percent of the budget share. He added that the budget has been designed in line with the available financial resources in the country, capability to utilize funds and considering the international aid. Hakimi said that this year up to 60 percent of aid money was utilized through the national budget, and in the coming years this ratio would be further lifted.
The house was briefed that prevailing corruption, lack of proper action plans, expertise, and accountability hindered the proper spending of this year’s development budget. Hakimi underlined that the proper utilization of development budget would be closely monitored in the coming years, and those offices failing to do so would not be provided with the financial resources.
The Minister said Afghanistan witnessed a GDP growth of 2.9 percent this year, and if security situation improved this would jump to reach 4 percent in the coming years.
The Constitution binds the Masharano Jirga to conclude its observations on the budget in 15 days and send the draft back to the MoF, which is then sent to the Wolesi Jirga (lower house) that has a month to debate and vote on it.
ENDS
