PUTRAJAYA: The Finance Ministry will set up a budget monitoring committee to ensure all programmes and initiatives proposed under the 2024 Budget will be implemented according to schedule for the benefit of the people.
To be chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, members of the monitoring committee amongst others will include both deputy finance ministers - Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan and Steven Sim Chee Keong as well as Treasury secretary-general Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican.
Ahmad said the committee would be formed "as soon as possible".
"The committee will monitor, inspect and obtain the necessary inputs to ensure all the programmes and initiatives proposed under the 2024 Budget, which is the largest in the country's history, could be implemented as soon as possible or according to the schedule.
"In other words, the committee would check and monitor the implementations of allocations set aside for the respective ministries under the 2024 Budget.
"With the setting up of this monitoring committee, the unity government wanted to ensure the people would get the maximum benefit from the 2024 Budget and that the target to spur the country's economic growth could be achieved," he told reporters after attending the 'Larian Belanjawan 2023' organised by the ministry, which was held in conjunction with this year's National Sports Day.
Present was Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, last Friday tabled the 2024 Budget which was described as highest in the history of the country.
The government is setting aside RM393.8 billion for the 2024 Budget, of which, RM303.8 billion and RM90 billion are for operating and development expenditures, respectively.
Ahmad also urged all ministries to come out with a timeline of all the programmes and initiatives proposed under the 2024 Budget.
"After the allocation has been disbursed to the ministries, we hope the proposed programmes and initiatives (under the 2024 Budget) will be immediately implemented and the progress of the implementation could achieve 50 per cent by June (next year).
"Do not wait under the last quarter of the year to carry out all the programmes and initiatives proposed in the 2024 Budget," he said.
The progress of the implementation of programmes and projects, he said, will be reflected in the mid-year Budget performance report.
This, he said, follows the passing of the Public Finance and Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2023 in the Dewan Rakyat last week.
"Even before the bill was passed, the ministry on Sept 23 had already released the mid-year Budget performance report from January until June this year (for the 2023 Budget)," he said.
On a related matter, Ahmad dismissed claims that the 2024 Budget had sidelined the Indian community.
"This is not true. The national budget is for all irrespective if you are Indian, Malays, Chinese, Iban and Kadazan Dusun.
"For instance, the Rahmah Cash Aid (STR) quantum, which has been increased from RM8 billion to RM10 billion, as well as all the allocations proposed to improve and empower our public healthcare and education is for all Malaysians.
"No one is left behind," he said.