As a prelude, over the past two weeks, Congress has fostered debates over political scrutiny over the implementation of the 2023 budget, with a view to whether or not the legislature will support next year’s government project.
For example, in the Fourth Committee of the Senate of the Republic, on the summons of Senator Laura Fortich (Liberal Party), the Minister of Finance, Ricardo Bonilla, and the Director of National Planning, Jorge Iván González, attended the committee.
The president of the commission, Juan Felipe Lemos (Partido de la U), claimed that “a good government should recognize that there are difficulties and shortcomings in the implementation of the budget and not warn that everything is working well, that is the best way and not refer to the past”.
For Lemos, there is a wrong concept to justify the low execution: “one is budget appropriation and the other is budget appropriation reserve.”
With regard to the implementation of this year’s budget, Bonilla justified the investment delay of the formal procedures that the government must comply with, added to the fact that there are some items that force inflexibility, such as the participation system and debt payment obligations.
He explained that in July, 58% of the budget has already been committed, while it is expected that by the time the August data is released, the funds related to the budget addition approved in the year-end law will appear in it.
Green Alliance senator Angélica Lozano stated that “we are at 33% of the actual investment. That it is missing, yes, that it satisfies us, no, but the explanation they give us of the process is clearly from the Ministry of Finance.”
For her part, Senator Fortich pointed out that this call was made “to start studying the 2024 budget and that is why today we are starting with the Ministry of Finance and with the Directorate of National Planning, which are the watchdogs that monitor the objectives of the National Development Plan be fulfilled”.
In this regard, he expressed concern that next year revenues for entities such as Ungrd, Invías and ESAP will decline.
In general, Commission IV’s message to the government is to accelerate budget investment, not only to meet the government’s commitments, but also to continue to reactivate the economy.
In the Third Committee of the Senate, Senator Efraín Cepeda Sarabia (Conservative Party), one of the organizers of the debate, said that not implementing the allocated resources will not allow the development of the country. The congressman reported that the DPS has a budget of 18 billion pesos, of which it owns a 46.47% commitment, “this is what is worth doing, what reaches people, and their works will become reality.” Cepeda Sarabia added in that sense. : “We have agreed that the minister or director who is unable to implement the resources will pass to those who, if they do so efficiently, prevent them from being lost.”
In her presentation, Social Prosperity Director Cielo Rusinque stated, “We are working to ensure that resources reach the most needy families in the country, according to priority criteria, to overcome extreme population poverty.” Families in Action program has an implementation of 79% and Colombia more than 46% of the allocated funds, the other programs are at zero and 15%.
Meanwhile, Senator Carlos Julio González (Cambio Radical) told the director of Social Prosperity that he was concerned about the regionalization and targeting of the country’s 13 social programs that fight poverty, such as improving housing and family on their land, among others.
In turn, Senator Carolina Espitia of Alianza Verde stated that Colombians need tools and mechanisms to work and be more productive. “More than a subsidy, families need their work to meet their needs. A focus of the programs is also required so that resources reach the most vulnerable in the country, with a preventive approach,” he said.
Similarly, Senator Antonio Zabaraín (Cambio Radical) asked those summoned for the political scrutiny debate to welcome that legislative cell’s comments on the budgetary execution of the respective portfolios and entities of the national government. “It is well known that the state apparatus is thick-skinned, it is very slow, macro management is required.”
At the time, Democratic Center Senator Ciro Ramírez said the challenge is to lift Colombia out of absolute poverty and that this can only be achieved with employment and education. a necessary tool”.
Similarly, Senator Liliana Bitar (Conservative Party) pointed out, “We need the implementation of the resources allocated to the various ministerial portfolios and entities to revive the country’s economy. Unfortunately, of the 13 projects presented by Social Prosperity, only two account for more than 20% of the budget execution. We need better planning so that these resources reach the people you need in a timely manner.”
In the Seventh Committee of the Senate, Health Minister Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo said in support of his report that the budget of that portfolio for 2023 was 50 billion pesos, of which 98% of the budget has been transferred to support the work of the UPC (Capitation Payment Unit), which is left with only 2 billion pesos, to run the ministry’s activities.
And he added that for the 2024 budget, they presented needs worth nearly 70 billion pesos. He said that by not receiving what is needed, they are short of nearly 10 billion pesos, especially in insurance, in the general system of participation in and support of other programs.
The minister added that in terms of infrastructure, they were only given a budget of 619 billion pesos and that “hospital infrastructure needs to be restored, especially in the rural and most vulnerable areas of the country, which has been greatly weakened over the past two decades.”
Read also: They ratify the law that prohibits the use of biopolymers in the country
He pointed out that in the department of La Guajira, for example, about 109 health posts have been closed.
For his part, Senator Honorio Henríquez Pinedo (Democratic Center) asked the minister to report on strategies to remedy the shortage in the health sector, to guarantee life and services to Colombians. He added that this portfolio only executed 54% of the budget, which amounts to more than 50 billion pesos.
Meanwhile, Senator Polivio Rosales (Indigenous Movement) submitted a request to the minister to allocate the necessary resources for primary health care for the country’s indigenous people.
Similarly, Senator Nadia Bel (Conservative Party) drew attention to the value of human talent in health: “Medical residents dedicate their time to saving the lives of Colombians and deserve better care.”
And on the Fifth Committee of the Senate was the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, María Susana Muhamad González, who stressed that the most important reduction in deforestation in the country has been achieved in the last 10 years.
On the other hand, he added, renewable forest concession figures for 30 years were generated so that farmers can stay in the various reserves and receive training, credit and technical assistance through social agreements to consolidate cores of forest development and biodiversity economics.
Source: El Heraldo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
