Committee Passes Budget 2022 After Incorporating Extra MVR 73 million

The People’s Majlis Budget Committee approved the proposed budget for 2022 on Thursday, which includes an additional MVR 73.6 million for PSIP projects on various islands as well as increased funding for some state agencies.

With the committee’s revisions, the overall budget spending grew marginally to MVR 34.1 billion from MVR 34 billion, while the total budget of MVR 36.92 billion increased to MVR 36.99 billion.

The budget was adopted by a committee majority with the finance ministry’s proposals and an estimated income of MVR 24 billion for 2022.

The Budget Committee’s adjustments include an MVR 57.4 million budget for PSIP projects on 82 islands, as well as an extra budget of roughly MVR 16 million for the People’s Majlis, the finance ministry, and seven independent government agencies.

The Department of Judicial Administration, Civil Service Commission, Family Protection Authority, Ombudsperson’s Office for Transitional Justice, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and Information Commissioner’s Office are among the independent government institutions that have received increased budget.

Among the additional funds provided to government entities are:

1. MVR 7 million allocated to the People’s Majlis Secretariat for new policy initiatives.
2. MVR 500,000 to digitalize the Department of Judicial Administration.
3. MVR 1.69 million for the Enhancing Digital Transformation of Civil Service project.
4. MVR 865,636 to enhance personnel and improve services at the Family Protection Authority.
5. MVR 2.2 million for staffing the Ombudsperson’s Office for Transitional Justice to complete its work before the legislation’s deadline.
6. MVR 3.9 million for the ACC to recruit staff to finish the MMPRC embezzlement investigation.
7. MVR 204,000 to employ a law firm for the Information Commissioner’s Office.
8. MVR 73,782 to increase funding for political parties under the Ministry of Finance’s special budget.

Members of the Majlis committee also agreed to revise the finance ministry’s MVR 2.2 billion supplementary budget, which had been sought since the government expects spending to surpass MVR 34.9 billion and approach MVR 37.1 billion in 2021.