KS Ministry of Economy: Restoring public trust through transparent work

(Patria) - Minister of Economy in the Government of Sarajevo Canton Haris Bašić and acting directors of public companies ZOI’84 Kenan Magoda, Sarajevo – Šuma Amir Joldo, Forestry Administration Edib Hamzić and Veterinary Station Nirves Bulaja presented the current state of work in these companies and planned activities for the future to the public today.

In the past period, the Ministry of Economy has launched and implemented a new concept of support and incentives for small businesses through transparent allocation of these funds, for which 4.4 million KM has been allocated, as well as two million for youth employment. Minister Bašić emphasized on this occasion that the goal of this ministry and the KS Government is precisely to increase transparency and engagement in the processes of allocating all types of incentives.

"The commission that will work on the allocation and selection of the best for the distribution of funds in the field of small economy will consist of seven people, one from the Ministry of Economy, one from the Office for Combating Corruption and Quality Control, several people from the non-governmental sector and eminent professors from the Faculty of Economics. Last year there were 33 applications, and today we have more than 100. It seems to me that there is a little more trust in the entire process, which in previous years was compromised by the allocation of funds to tycoons close to the ruling structures," said Bašić.

For the support of agricultural development, six million KM is planned to be allocated this year, investments will be made particularly in the development of the IT sector, and 280,000 KM has been directed towards scholarships for students of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. Also, negotiations are being finalized regarding the construction of two hydroelectric power plants worth 30 million in the municipality of Ilijaš. Speaking about the situation in public companies, at ZOI, according to the acting director Magoda, the new management found blocked accounts, falsified reports and a collapse in all segments of the company's operations, from problems with vertical transport to illegal employment.

Along with activities to rectify such a situation, new projects for the expansion and lighting of ski slopes on Bjelašnica and the activation of the potential of Igman and Trebević have been announced. The forest potential in KS, according to the leaders of Sarajevo Šume and the Forestry Administration, is estimated at a value of 360 million KM. It is a great responsibility to manage and protect this potential and to put it to use for tourist offerings as much as possible through environmental landscaping and nature parks.

Numerous irregularities in financial operations were found in the work of the Veterinary Station: from unpaid salaries, unsettled obligations to suppliers, violations of the public procurement law, and large credit debts. The current management is working on rectifying this situation, and by the end of this year, the completion of all preparatory work for the construction of a dog shelter in Prača has been announced.