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KABUL: The parliament on Tuesday rejected a program recently announced by President Ashraf Ghani based on which, the destitute would be assisted.
The Dastarkhan-e-Melli known as DM by its acronym (National Food Table) is the third of its kind program through which the government tries to help poor people especially after the general lockdown due to the Corona virus pandemic.
The lawmakers on Tuesday called on the government to spend the money allocated for the DM in the projects listed in the national budget.
The program is to cover more than four million families around the country with a 244 million dollar expense.
The program’s opening was followed by serious reactions of the members of parliament.
Esmail Rahimi, deputy finance minister tried to convince the lawmakers in the parliament’s Tuesday session that the new program allows the government to bring changes in the budget.
He said that the expenses of the program would be sued from the World Bank’s donation to the national budget and ministry of rural rehabilitation and development with the help of municipalities and local governance directorates would implement.
But his remarks could not satisfy the legislators who called the program in opposition with the constitution’s article 91.
Lawmaker Abdul Rauof Enami, warned the government not to break the parliament’s red lines by arbitrarily implementing of the program. He accused the government particularly finance ministry of distracting public opinions by pretending that the program was implemented by World Bank’s donations.
The lawmakers decided at the end of their session to reject the program.
