Parliament to vote on budget on Sunday

Parliament today revealed that voting for the 2014 state budget has been tabled for Sunday, 29 December.

The budget review committee's report is scheduled to reach the floor on Wednesday, and Wednesday and Thursday will be spent on debating the report, parliament said.

Committee’s review of the budget it still ongoing. The delay in finalizing the report has also compelled the committee to extend proposing of comments to the report until 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Details of the progress made by the budget review committee could not be obtained as the committee’s MPs were unavailable at the time of press.

On Tuesday, parliament is set to debate on a Public Accounts Committee report on the budget for the Auditor General’s Office. Approval of the new government’s cabinet ministers has also been tabled for Sunday.

Former president Dr Mohamed Waheed’s administration proposed a MVR 16.4 billion state budget for 2014. The figure was increased to MVR 17.5 after the current administration incorporated changes to accommodate funding of pledges and other projects. The budget review committee of the parliament has since increased the budget to MVR 17.77 billion.