Parliament approves annual estimates of three institutions

Accra, March 23, GNA - A Parliamentary Committee on Monday said despite the intention of the Ghana School Feeding Programme to increase its coverage base to 800,000 pupils at a cost of over 63, million Ghana cedis, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, had allocated only 17 million Ghana cedis to the programme. The Committee has therefore, recommended to the Ministry that the amount needed for the programme be sourced from the HIPC or other sources.

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Dominic Azumah, said these when he seconded a motion for the approval of 179,102,552 Ghana cedis for the services of the Local Government Ministry for the 2009 fiscal year.

He said to sustain the feeding programme, the Committee recommends that a more reliable source of funding be used for the programme, including the establishment of a Ghana School Feeding Fund, the use of proceeds from the National Lotteries, or the use of portions of either the Communications Service Tax of the GETFUND. "The Committee also recommended that the Ministry ensures that activities of the School Feeding programme secretariat be streamlined to curb wastage and embezzlement." Mr Azumah said. Parliament also approved a sum of 3,083,056 Ghana cedis for the services of the National Development Planning Commission for this year. A Parliament report said officials of the Commission indicated that the removal of the "Economic Planning" side from the Ministry of Finance meant that the function of economic planning of the Finance Ministry, would likely fall squarely on the National Development Planning Commission and therefore suggested that the Commission be adequately resourced to enable it to take on the added responsibility. Later, Parliament also approved an amount for 9,570,786 Ghana cedis for the services of the Ministry of Women and Children's Affair.