KABUL (SW) – The Wolesi Jirga (lower house) finally approved the annual budget on Monday after months of bickering over it with the government that eventually led to rise in salaries of thousands of low-scale public servants.
According to members of the Finance and Budget Committee of the house, the third draft of the budget document for the year 1400 (Solar Hijri) has addressed a majority of the members’ demands and suggestions.
They said the increase of AFN 2,000 per month in the salaries of teachers and lower-level staff, not creating new budget codes for the High Council for National Reconciliation and railway authority and taking the National Meal Program off the budget are some of these demands and suggestions of the MPs.
Mir Rahman Rahmani, speaker of the house, said on the occasion the government has assured the increase in salaries would be ensured from next month onwards.
Following the approval of the budget, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani appreciated the decision of the house, and called it worthwhile for the timely implementation of the government’s basic plans, especially development projects throughout the country.
The house had twice rejected the budget document over what it called as the imbalance of projects and over the demand to raise salaries of low-ranked officials.
The budget volume is worth AFN 473.4 billion, of which AFN 311.5 billion area earmarked for expenditures and AFN 161.5 billion for development.
ENDS
