The Parliament's Public Finance Committee has increased the budget allocated to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate the MMPRC corruption.
The decision was made at a committee meeting held Thursday. While the Finance Ministry proposed a budget of MVR 36.92, the committee increased the budget to MVR 36.99, adding MVR 73 million.
The Finance Ministry was seeking a budget of MVR 41.5 million for ACC. However, the Public Finance Committee added a further MVR 3.9 million, increasing the total allocation for ACC to MVR 45.4 million. The additional funds will be utilized to hire more staff for the MMPRC corruption investigation, with a target to conclude the case next year.
The committee also voted to maintain the national health insurance agency, Aasandha's expenditure in a more sustainable manner. In this regard, efforts to cap the prices of medicines will be reinforced next year, the committee decided.
Furthermore, the committee said to prevent losses caused due to the termination of contracts and having to give compensation, all aspects of the contract must be studied and reviewed prior to signing the agreement. The progress of the projects must also be monitored in a more organized manner, the committee said.
The Public Finance Committee increased the allocated budget for a select few entities. The budget was increased most for the Parliament, with MVR 7 million added for its New Policy Initiative. The committee also added MVR 1.69 million to the Civil Service Commission's budget for its Enhancing Digital Transformation of Civil Service project.
The Parliament is yet to vote on the proposed budget.
