DUSHANBE, October 18, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- The Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) committees and commissions are currently discussing the draft law on the national budget for 2012.

Four committees of the Majlisi Namoyandagon are holding meetings today to discuss the 2012 national budget bill day.

Muhammadato Sultonov, a spokesman for the Majlisi Namoyandagon, says the third session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the fourth convocation is expected to consider the draft national budget for 2012 in early November.   

We will recall that the government discussed the draft national budget for 2012 on September 30.  The meeting also considered budget indices for 2013-2014.

In a report released at the meeting, Minister of Finance Safarali Najmiddinov noted that the revenue part of the country’s national budget for 2012 will stand at 10.16 billion somoni (equivalent to more than 2.1 U.S. billion dollars) and its expenditure part will stand at 10.34 billion somoni (equivalent to some 2.2 billion U.S. dollars).

“Gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to rise 7.0 percent in 2012, reaching 35.8 billion somoni (equivalent to 7.5 billion U.S. dollars), and inflation for 2012 is expected to stand at 10.5 percent,” the minister said.

According to him, social spending will account for nearly 50 percent of budget allocations.  “The budget projects expenditure of more than 5 billion somoni in education, health care and social protection,” Najmiddinov noted.  The budget earmarks 3 billion somoni for implementation of strategic projects aimed at providing energy independence, withdrawing the country from communication isolation and providing food security.  Besides, 145 million somoni are expected to be spent on resolving the drinking water shortage problems in 24 cities and districts across the country.