KABUL (Pajhwok): The Wolesi Jirga (WJ), or lower house of parliament, on Monday approved the draft budget for 2016 after necessary changes and a12 billion afghanis addition to the outlay.
Earlier, the assembly rejected by a majority vote the draft budget for the current fiscal year on account of what lawmakers called serious imbalances and other problems.
Afghanistan’s fiscal year begins on December 22. The draft budget was approved by the Council of Ministers and the Meshrano Jirga sent it to the Wolesi Jirga with some recommendations.
Wolesi Jirga’s Finance Commission head Amir Khan Yar, who placed the draft budget before the session, claimed there was no balance in provincial allocations. The draft contains no appropriate measures to create job opportunities.
He told the house 1.8 billion afghanis had been added to the general budget and 10 billion to the development spending. The addition amount will be spent on the education sector, construction of roads, retaining walls and supply of drinking water.
He put the revised general budget at 276.1 billion afghanis and development spending at 168.6 billion afghanis. Of the 146 present lawmakers present, 140 voted in favour of the draft.
nh/mud