Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly passed today the final draft bill of the 2010 GoSS Budget without taking into consideration an appeal by the GoSS minister of finance for 50 million Sudanese Pounds to be paid to grain contractors.
On Monday, during the third reading of the budget, Minister David Deng Athrobei appealed to the members of parliament to include 50 million pounds to cater for the grain contractors who did not receive their payments yet.
Mr. Deng told SCR News that the grain issue is outside his ministry.
He added that a committee including grain contractors and members of the Chamber of Commerce will decide whether to pay the contractors who genuinely delivered the grain.
GoSS Ministry of SPLA Affairs got the largest slice of the 2010 Budget receiving 1,2 billion Sudanese pounds. One billion will be for salaries.
GoSS Ministry of Roads and Transport takes the second largest share (463 million) while Internal Affairs got almost 382 million and Education 323,5 million.
The Ministry of Health was given 182 million, half of it earmarked for salaries.
The total budget amounts to almost 4,5 billion Sudanese pounds.