KABUL - A number of Wolesi Jirga members demanded disqualification of ministers who failed to spend 50 percent of budgetary allocations during the ongoing fiscal year.
Arif Rahmani, lower house member from Ghazni province, expressed concern over under spending of development funds. “The ministers who spent only 60 percent of their budget should be summoned for clarification.”
He linked low budget spending to negligence and incompetency of ministers and administrative corruption.
“We beg foreigners, but when we receive money, they are not spent, it is our responsibility to send ineffective ministers home,” he said.
Abdul Qadir Zazai, a lawmaker from capital Kabul said it was regretful that they had granted the trust vote to ministers who could not spend even 50 to 60 percent of their budgets. “We are waiting for the president to remove and disqualify such ministers.”
First deputy speaker Haji Zahir Qadir, who chaired today’s session, said: “You lawmakers are responsible to summon ministers about their low spending and make decision about their fate.”
He said setting a level for spending development budget was a treason and injustice to the nation. “There is enough money for implementation of development projects, but inefficient authorities have failed to spend them”, Qadir said.
“After reports published by permanent commissions, we would make a decision about the ministers who failed to spend their development budget,” he said. (Pajhwok)