PARLIAMENT TO RESUME 2014/2015 BUDGET DEBATE MEETINGS TOMORROW

Malawi’s National Assembly, will resume tomorrow 10^th September, after it was adjourned by National Speaker of Assembly Richard Msowoya, to allow the Parliamentary Committee on Finance to scrutinise the the K742.6 billion 2014/15 national budget which was presented by the finance minister, Goodall Gondwe, last week Monday.

The Committees will report back on their analysis of the national budget before Members of Parliament begin debate.

Political parties’ spokespersons on finance, represented in the House, will also respond to Gondwe’s proposed national budget.

The cluster committees entrusted with the duty of examining the national budget included: Education, Transport, Public Accounts, Budget and Finance, Legal Affairs, Commerce and Trade, and HIV/Health.

The Agriculture Sector has been allocated the largest share of K142 billion, which includes K50.8 billion for fertiliser subsidy. Health has been allocated K65.2 billion, Education K127 billion while Transport and Public Works has received K31 billion.

Minister of Finance has also increased allocation to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) by 167 percent to make sure “its efforts in fighting graft are not hampered by lack of funding”.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the Judiciary and the Malawi Police Service have also received large increments for the same reason.

An extra K7 billion has also been allocated to the Ministry of Lands, Urban Development and Housing to introduce a pilot scheme in subsidising iron sheets and cement.

Gondwe further informed the House that government is planning to establish Malawi Development Bank that “will start with a government majority shareholding with a sizeable private sector shareholding”.