Ministers’ use of a private aircraft is now limited, and based on urgency and subject to regulations, as part of the government’s efforts to rationalize spending as a way to counter budget deficits, reports Al-Qabas daily.
The daily, quoting a source, said that in the budget for fiscal year 2019/2020 the estimates of government aircraft operations were approximately 22 million dinars. He added that the government aircraft operation estimates in the budget for fiscal year 2020/2021 amounted to 21.9 million dinars and 18 million dinars in the 2020/2021 draft budget of the Amiri Diwan.
He added, “The use of government aircraft is subject to specific regulations, and ministers do not require the use of private aircraft for their official duties unless there is an urgent need for that.”
On the other hand, the daily stressed the governmental assurance to continue with rationalizing spending within the reform plans deemed indispensable at the current stage. He explained that spending on construction projects will be carried out according to four main controls as follows: “The priority of project in terms of importance, ability of the executive bodies, productivity and economic returns, improving services and sustainable development.”
On the general vision of the State’s general future budget, especially with regard to handling and resolving estimated deficits in the State’s general budget, the daily reports that the Ministry of Finance has highlighted to government agencies the need to adhere to rationalizing government spending in accordance with Cabinet Resolution No. 51 of 2014.
All government agencies are urged to take serious procedures to rationalize expenditure, and to determine expenditures that can be dispensed with and not to include them in the estimates. “With regard to the requirements of the authorities in construction projects, consideration is given to the order of priorities according to their importance, and in a manner commensurate with the executive capacity of the relevant authorities focusing on productive projects with economic returns necessary to improve the services provided to citizens. This is to push forward the wheel of the national economy in accordance with the goals of sustainable development.”
The daily emphasized the concern to provide financial requirements of the authorities for radical maintenance of the existing projects, including machinery and equipment to preserve the assets in order to achieve full benefit and to extend their life and productivity. He mentioned the initiatives outlined in the aforementioned “fiscal sustainability” axis represent the necessary recommendations for avoiding deficits that were reached after several meetings and discussions.
The daily said that the initial estimates of expenditures submitted by government agencies are subject to a detailed review to exclude any overestimation before preparing the draft budget that is presented to the Cabinet before it is submitted to the National Assembly.
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