Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

MPs Warn of Fraud in Govt’s Relief Package

MPs Warn of Fraud in Govt’s Relief Package

KABUL - Members of the Wolesi Jirga, Afghanistan's house of representatives, on Monday raised concerns about President Ashraf Ghani's food relief plan, titled "National Dining Table," with some warning it will raise opportunities for fraud, while others called it "an excuse to waste money."
They say that the budget for this program has not been shared with the parliament and that this money should not face the fate of the bread distribution and the COVID-19 aid in the country.
The "National Dining Table" program, costing $244 million and initiated by President Ghani, has provoked reactions from a number of lawmakers.
“This (program) set the stage for the embezzlement of money, like the money for bread distribution that was stolen or the money that was embezzled from the budget to fight the coronavirus,” said Nafisa, a parliament member.
A number of members of the Afghan house of representatives say there is widespread corruption in government institutions and that the money for this program will be wasted like previous aid programs.
“We do not know whether this money is spent in the budget or out of the budget, no information has been given to the parliament,” said said Mohammad Azim Mohseni, a member of the finance and budget commission of the Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of parliament.
The initiative was designed to provide aid through the city's bakeries to those in need during the lockdown.
Later on, however, the needy families claimed that the program was compromised by corruption.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the bread distribution process in the first phase cost Afs2.8 billion (over $36 million) of which Afs1.15 billion (over $14.8 million) was spent in Kabul. (TOLO NEWS)