The members of the 8th Constitutional Government gathered in retreat to prepare the debate on the OGE 2023
The Government proposes to the National Parliament a budget of US$ 19.2 million for the implementation of the Bolsa da Mãe (Mother's Grant) programme. With this amount, US$ 5.3 are allocated for the continuation of the initial programme and US$ 13.7 are allocated for the extension of the Programme (Bolsa da Mãe - Nova Geração - Mother's Grant – New Generation), whose goal is to support pregnant mothers and improve health and nutrition in the first 1000 days of a child's life, as well as to support children with chronic diseases and disabilities.
The 2023 GSB proposal includes a budget allocation of US$ 22.4 million to expand the School Meals programme, improve food quality, and achieve better quality levels of child nutrition, with spending per child, per meal, increasing from US$ 0.25 to US$ 0.42.
This 2023 GSB proposal was designed following the Strategic Objectives of the 8th Constitutional Government, which aim to provide citizens with 1) The opportunity to lead a healthy, safe, and long life; 2) Access to knowledge, technology, and innovation; and 3) Access to sufficient resources to ensure a dignified life.
The overall total expenditure of US $3.16 billion comprises the Central Administration Budget, with a value of US$ 2.8 billion (this figure includes US$ 1 billion for the National Liberation Fighters Fund), the Social Security Budget, with a value of US$ 235.7 million, and the RAEOA Budget, with a value of US$ 120 million.
The National Parliament is expected to start the Overall Discussion on November 7th, with the Final Global Vote scheduled for November 17th, after which the proposal will be submitted to the President of the Republic.
This schedule draws on the spirit of the New Budgetary Framework Law, promulgated by the President of the Republic, Francisco Guterres Lú-Olo, last February. This structuring Law is one of the foundations of the Public Finance Management Reform in Timor-Leste - an important achievement of the mandate of the 8th Constitutional Government, led by the Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak.
