The project of National Development Plan 2022-2026 advances in its first debate in Congress. Yesterday the joint economic commissions of the Senate and the Camera They made their second day of discussion and vote.
Although the congressmen have already advanced with almost the entire text, and for today around a dozen are pending, the discussion in relation to the extraordinary powers that the project grants to the President of the Republic, as well as the management of resources through 17 funds, took away a good part of yesterday’s work, and prevented the initiative from receiving the green light from these legislative bodies.
(This is how the pension system that is in force in Colombia works).
Since morning, the congressmen met to vote, firstly, a block of 13 articles whose propositions remained as records for debate in plenary sessions.
Among them is point 238, that defines the ceilings for social interest housing (VIS) at 135 current legal monthly minimum wages, which generated further discussion, since the congressmen argued that there is a lack of clarity in some points of the Government’s housing subsidy policy.
(Congress has already approved 84% of the PND in its first debate).
Subsequently, another block of 19 articles, referring to organic standards, and which require absolute majorities to be endorsed, was voted on and approved. In the third block, 18 articles were grouped, which refer to the different funds that the Plan seeks to modify, or create.
In the framework of the discussion, the Minister of Finance, José Antonio Ocampoexplained that “Of the 17 funds that remained in the presentation for approval, 14 are already existing. The bulk of those simply change the object or the ability to transfer resources between one subaccount or another.to”.
Among these is the Colombia in Peace Fund, the Savings and Stabilization Fund, to which, according to the minister, the Government is given more time to pay some bills, while the Emergency Mitigation Stabilization Fund (Fome)which was used in the pandemic, is liquidated.
(Fedegán announced the sum of more than 61 thousand hectares of land for sale).
After an arduous discussion, in which senators and representatives expressed their concern about the management of resourcesand alerted about possible risks in the contracting and allocation of money, the points referring to the existing funds were approved, while the three new funds were left to be discussed today.
These are the Fund Account of the Ministry of Sport (article 95), the Fund for Equality and Equity (article 266) and the Fund ‘Colombia world power of life‘ (article 265), which seeks to finance different projects of the Plan.
(Development Plan would strengthen women’s enterprises).
The last block, made up of nine articles, it contained the provisions regarding the extraordinary powers that would be granted to the President.
Article 301 was approved, which will allow the president to issue norms with the force of law to modify the Families and Youth in Action programs, and incorporate them into the Transfer System created by the Development Plan. The 302 that gives faculties for the recovery of the San Juan de Dios Hospital was also approved.
Other points remained pending, such as the one that allows the President to modify the management of the Bicentennial Group; create a holding company for the electricity sector, integrating several plants; or create one National Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation.
LAURA LUCIA BECERRA ELEJALDE
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