Need to enhance direct role of elected representatives’ in budget-making process: Asad Umar

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The budget could be made meaningful and inclusive if we engage the public representatives in the budget-making process from the very beginning, said Asad Umar, MNA, Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI).

Speaking at a special seminar on ‘Political Economy of Budget Making Process: A Debate’, organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), here on Thursday, Asad said every MNA should contribute and give proposals as per need and demand of their respective constituencies.

Asad said one of the major challenges of the budget-making process is that the respective standing committees have no institutional support and they lack qualified research capacity, which makes the budget-making process meaningless.

“There is an urgent need to strengthen the research capacity of the relevant standing committees and need to ensure involvement of all stakeholders to make budget-making process inclusive”, he added. Asad suggested that the recommendations of parliamentarians during budget speeches should be duly noted and be accommodated in budget document making it a sort of consensus budget.

Shakeel Ahmed Ramay, Director Research Uptake and Business Development on the occasion said the active and neutral involvement of various stakeholders is essential to ensure budget-making process participatory and inclusive.

“The quality of public service delivery is influenced by the allocation of state’s budget”, he said, adding that better use of public funds and improved public service delivery can be ensured by promoting greater transparency enabling citizens to gauge the quality and effectiveness of basic services.