Ministry of Finance has revealed more than USD 29 million has been disbursed to local councils from the State Budget this year.
According to weekly statistics from the Ministry of Finance, the government is set to provide USD 78 million to local councils as grant aid, which is 5% of the state budget. A total of USD 29 million has been provided to the local councils up until April 8 in 2021, compared to 26 million US dollars during the same period in 2020.
Local councils have also been given more authorities in accordance with the latest amendments to the Decentralisation Act. This includes Local Councils receiving 40% of the profits from resources in their constituencies, receiving all profits from municipal services, and receiving 5% of domestic revenues from the State Budget as block grants. Councils also have authority over local projects that are worth under USD 324,000, as well as starting businesses and projects for local development.
The recent amendments to the Decentralisation Act also increased the total number of councilors and increased their term from 3 years to 5 years.