AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Prime Minister’s Office budget estimates have been raised by 52.5 per cent.
This emerged as Premier Kassim Majaliwa yesterday highlighted four priority key areas to be implemented in the 2020/21 fiscal year.
The estimates have increased to 313bn/- from the current 148.9bn/- as the parliament budget estimates drop by 2 per cent from the current 124.2bn/- to 122bn/-
Mr Majaliwa told the parliament that his office was focusing on implementing various development projects focused on four main areas.
These are building a basic foundation for industrial economy, to set link for economic development and wananchi’s development, to create good environment of doing business and investment as well as strengthen the system for supervising the implementation of development programme.
Moving the budget estimates for his office for the 2020/2021 financial year, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa asked the Parliament to approve 313bn/-, out of which 88.4bn/- is for recurrent and 224.3bn/- for development expenditure.
The premier further asked Members of Parliament (MPs) to approve 122bn/- for the Parliament office, 113.5bn/- being for recurrent budget and 8.2bn/- for development.
The Premier said in order to attain the set goals, the government will continue to give priority in the implementation of strategic projects such as construction of Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), the 2,115 MW Mwalimu Nyerere Hydro Power Project, strengthen the Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) and the construction of crude oil pipeline from Hoima, Uganda to Tanga.
He added that the government was also focusing on establishing special economic zones and financing studies for specialised personnel in special areas.
The premier added that the measures would help to link the construction of infrastructure with other economic sectors and thus speed up development programmes in the country.
He said the strategies would also help to create employment, improve income and total national development.
The premier asked traders, investors, entrepreneurs, MPs, government leaders and all officials, religion institutions, nongovernmental organisation, development partners and the public at large to work together and support the government to attain its goals of becoming a middle income nation by 2025.
On the success of the fifth government, the premier highlighted some key areas of success as the implementation of the Standard Gauge railway (SGR) project, revival of the national carrier Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL), construction of Mwalimu Nyerere Hydro Power project, which is expected to generate 2115MW on its completion as well as implementation of various water, education, health and many other projects.
He said in the period of five years, the government has managed to implement such crucial projects to different levels.
He said by March, 2020, the government had already spent 2.96trl/- in the implementation of the SGR project and that it has been completed by 75 per cent from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro and 28 per cent from Morogoro to Makutupora.
The project has opened 664.7bn/- tenders for 640 local contractors and a total of 13,177 employment have been created.
On Mwalimu Nyerere hydro power project, the government has so far invested 1.28trl/- in construction by March, 2020 and that the project has been completed by 10.74 per cent.
He added that a total of 11,128 institutions including education, health and religious institutions have benefited from the project.
On air transportation, the government has so far purchased 8 brand new aircraft at a price of 1.27trl/-.
He added that 85.7bn/- have already been deposited for purchasing three other aircraft. He said the revival of the company is expected to boost the country’s economy by improving the tourism sector and create employment opportunities.
On health sector, the premier said the government had been improving budget year after year to strengthen the sector. He said the budget for medical supplies had increased from 31bn/- in 2015 to 269bn/- in 2019.
The government has also improved various infrastructures, including construction of 1,198 dispensaries, 487 health centres, 69 district hospitals and 10 regional hospitals.
The regional hospitals have been built in Njombe, Simiyu, Mara, Geita, Songwe, Katavi, Sekou Toure in Mwanza, Burigi, Mwananyamala, Mawenzi na Manyara and three zonal referral hospitals for Mtwara, Mbeya and Burigi-Chato as well as special hospital-Kibong’oto.
In a period from July 2015 to January 2020 a total of 3.01trl/- has been spent in improving the health sector.
On education, the government has improved the sector by increasing loans for higher learning students from 365bn/- in 2015 to 450bn/- in 2019. Free education for primary schools has been implemented successfully.
The premier said the country’s economic growth had maintained a steady pace.
On the coming general election, he asked all politicians and political parties to maintain peace and respect principles of democracy.
Meanwhile, Speaker of National Assembly, Job Ndugai declined the opposition from reading their alternative budget estimates for the Premier’s office saying it lacked standards.
He said the Opposition speech had violated several House Standing Orders and that he could not allow them to table it before MPs and the public.
“The speech is rich in typing errors and it has gone out of topics,” he said. According to Speaker Ndugai, the speech requested the Speaker to intervene in the recent incident related to the arrest of some opposition MPs at Segerea Prison where they were accused of causing chaos as they were to receive the Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo National Chairman, Freeman Mbowe from the prison.
Moreover, Mr Ndugai said the opposition had reiterated the already solved issues that involved the former Singida East MP, Tundu Lissu .
“This speech will not be tabled, we can not continue like this, we have been giving the opposition an opportunity to make changes, but this is the fifth year, they do not change
