Andina

Peru PM: 2021 budget to prioritize health, education, poverty alleviation and agriculture

Photo: ANDINA/Diffusion

11:14 | Lima, Nov. 26.

Peruvian Prime Minister Violeta Bermudez on Thursday affirmed that the Public Sector Budget for the 2021 Fiscal Year has as a priority the following sectors: health, education, poverty alleviation, and agriculture.

During the Congress' plenary session —at which the budget will be debated and approved— the high-ranking official expressed her appreciation for the coordinated efforts undertaken by the Budget-General Account Commission of the Republic and the Executive Branch.

This work was carried out through the technical team of the Economy and Finance Ministry, in order to approve the respective bill.

"The priority sectors are health, education, poverty alleviation, and agriculture; of course, we will continue to promote public policies approved by the Peruvian State," she expressed.

In this sense, the Cabinet chief agreed with the three bills crafted by Congress' Budget Commission, which "are aligned with the Government's priorities raised by our President of the Republic (Francisco Sagasti) and which will be addressed in the presentation of the Government's General Policy that I will give in the next few days."

Bermudez indicated that these guidelines are: facing the health emergency, boosting the economic reactivation in the most vulnerable sectors, and allowing an orderly transition to the next government, adding that it requires "a responsible and realistic management of public finances."

"The Budget for the 2021 Fiscal Year will increase by 3% if compared to the 2020 Budget; that is an additional S/5.66 billion (about US$1.56 billion). The initial budget will be worth S/183 billion (about US$50.68 billion)," she said.

Within this framework, the Prime Minister noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had an "unfavorable impact on the crafting of the budget."


(END) JCC/VVS/MVB

Publicado: 26/11/2020