Government has cut funding allocation to the Department of Human Resource Management and Development from the initial K45.4 billion to K2.3 billion in the mid-year budget review.

According to Minister of Finance Felix Mlusu, the K43 billion funding reduction is due to allocation of remunerations of staff to individual Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).

“Obviously certain votes there have been quite substantial movements in terms of reductions in certain cases and increase in others and n case of the Human Resource Department, there has been quite a huge movement.

“Most of the salaries at the beginning of the year they are lamped under the Human Resource Division, at the half year point we review those then allocate to the individual MDAs so that they can handle those at the end of the year,” said Mlusu.

He added that government has increased funding allocation to Malawi Defence Force (MDF) vote from K62.6 billion to K70.1 billion because of the recent recruitments MDF has made.

“In the case of MDF, there has been an increase and about K5.6 billion has been to do with salary adjustments and indeed increases.

“But also in terms of trainings for the recruitments that they have done so that’s why they have done so that’s why they have been quite an increase in terms of MDF,” Mlusu said.

The House has also deferred approved provision of K4 billion on Vote 120 to Ministry of Local Government which has been revised to K4.1 billion because opposition lawmakers were not satisfied with the Minister’s response over the reduction in funding.