Ministers and Deputies Grounded

President John Evans Atta Mills has grounded all his Ministers and Deputy Ministers, with a stern directive to them to shun all foreign travels until the budget is presented, debated and passed by Parliament.

He has also directed ministers and deputies on leave, outside or within the country, to return to post.

The directive, which takes, immediate effect, is part of measures to ensure that the 2011 budget, which is expected to be presented to Parliament in the third week of next month, is enriched with the contributions of all sector ministers.

Mr. Koku Anyidoho, Director of Communications at the Presidency, told the Times newspaper yesterday, that the President “is attaching extreme importance to the 2011 national budget”.

He said: “2011 will be a year of deliverables, and the budget will provide the blueprint to fully implement the ‘Better Ghana’ agenda.”

Because of the importance of the budget, he said President Mills deemed it necessary for all his ministers to be at post to give full support to the budget, which was aimed at sustainable growth after the government succeeded in achieving economic stability.

In the wake of this week’s indefinite suspension of the Offinso-South Municipal Chief Executive, Victor Amposah, by the President for misconduct in abandoning his post, President Mills is said to be ready to punish all those who flout his directives.