Members of the Wolesi Jirga, the Lower House of Parliament, on Saturday said some independent departments have been included in the national budget document as new budgetary units which have delayed the approval of the budget by the MPs. 
 
The MPs said budgets have been allocated to departments which the lawmakers were not aware of them before this. 
 
The MPs said these new budgetary units and departments such as the National Authority on Disabled and Heirs of Martyrs’ Affairs, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Board of Afghanistan and Afghanistan Central Civil Registration Office are the new departments which have been established in the last fiscal year “without processing the legal steps and approval of the national assembly”. 
 
“One of the attempts of government is to create position for some individuals and the second attempt is to make a number of departments irresponsibly,” MP Assadullah Sadati said. 
 
“Amendment, approval and cancelation of law is being done based on a suggested outline or by 10 MPs or by government. We have no amendment outline on amending a former structure which has been suggested by 10 MPs or by government,” said MP Ramazan Bashardost. 
 
The MPs said that so far they have not agreed on whether let the new departments remain as independent authorities or they should not remain and should be dissolved.
 
So far, five commissions of parliament have confirmed establishment of these departments and three other commissions have rejected it, the MPs said. 
 
“It is fine that President (Ashraf Ghani) has made them independent. We have the authority to merge these two departments (the National Authority on Disabled and Heirs of Martyrs’ Affairs and Technical and Vocational Education and Training Board of Afghanistan) to ministries,” MP Abdul Sattar Khawasi said. 
 
Other MPs meanwhile said question the process through which the newly established departments got budgets in the last fiscal year. 
 
“Where the budgets of these departments have been supported from as it is about five to six months that these departments have been established?” asked MP Fawzia Kofi.
 
Officials of some of these new established departments meanwhile said the departments have been established for offering better services, bringing more transparency and accountability and more efficiency in their activities. 
 
“The labor and social affairs ministry’s work field is big. In the labor area, lots of works needed and the social affairs section is also very complicated. Thus, it was considered by the ministry to separate these sections (the disabled and martyrs sections),” Laluddin Aryoubi, director of the National Authority on Disabled and Heirs of Martyrs’ Affairs, said. 
 
“Currently, over 12 ministries and other departments have technical and professional trainings in different ways and different support sources are used for conducting these trainings,” said Nadima Sahar, head of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Board of Afghanistan.
 
The MPs said before approving the national budget document, they have to reach an agreement regarding these newly established departments.