The National Assembly made history when they sat from 10am on Friday 29th December to 6.05am on Saturday 30th November to consider the Estimates for the 2020 financial year.
Deputies at committee levels scrutinised the budgets of separate ministries. They eventually looked into the budget head by head and item by item to determine what to delete and where to add what is deleted, giving agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, youth and women priority.
After approving the Estimates, deputies moved on to consider the Appropriation Bill which is to be the law that would transform the Estimates into the actual budget for 2020. Once the Appropriation is passed and assented to, it will become the 2020 budget for the year 2020.
Deputies sat yesterday from morning to twilight to consider the Appropriation Bill after adjourning on Monday to give them opportunity to scrutinise the approved Estimates which should be transformed into an Appropriation Act. The scrutiny served its purpose and an additional D183 million dalasis which was not originally part of the Estimates is now isolated as a matter that needs further review by Deputies today to determine whether or not it should be part of the Appropriation Bill.
Foroyaa will follow the debate today to find out how the 183 million dalasis will be disposed of by the National Assembly which is bent on ensuring that the budget stands the dictates of the Constitution and the law.
