Amman: The Lower House Finance Committee Wednesday convened to discuss the budgets of the Ministry of Government Communications, the Radio and Television Corporation, the Jordan News Agency (Petra), the Media Authority and Al-Mamlaka TV.

House Speaker Ahmed Safadi said the recommendations of the Committee are calling for the support of Jordan TV and Petra, praising the two official media outlets and Al Mamlaka TV as “key partners to the House.”

Chairman of the Finance Committee Nimr Sleihat said the Committee is reviewing the draft public budget law for the 2024 fiscal year with all ministries, public institutions and independent bodies.

The Minister of Government Communications, Muhannad Mubaidin, said the Ministry is working to “transform the media landscape,” adding that it launched today the first summary of the achievements of ministries and government institutions for December 2023, which will be issued monthly.

Mubaidin added that the Ministry established a government communication forum that hosts
officials with journalists to know the reality of ministries and public institutions.

Ministry SG Zaid Nawahseh said the Ministry’s budget amounted to JOD1.901 million compared to the 2023 budget of JOD1 million, adding that they had requested a JOD3 million budget to promote the state’s message and address challenges.

Director General of the Radio and Television Corporation, Ibrahim Bawarid, said the Corporation’s budget amounted to JOD27 million for 2024, a JOD1.8 million increase from 2023’s budget.

Director General of the Jordan News Agency (Petra), Fayrouz Mubaideen, said Petra’s budget amounted to JOD3.1 million, a JOD218,000 increase in spending compared to the re-estimation of budget expenditures for 2023.

Mubaideen added that Petra has a staff of 160 journalists and 15 correspondents in 15 countries, noting that the agency published more than 55,000 items and stories in 2023.

She added that the Petra Training Centre trained 434 people in 2023, a 46 per cent increase compared to the previous year
.

Director General of the Information Authority, Bashir Momani, said the authority’s budget amounted to JOD1.4 million, a 203,000 increase from 2023’s budget.

Director General of Al-Mamlaka TV, Dana Sayyagh, said the channel’s budget this year amounted to JOD12 million, a JOD1 million increase from last year’s budget, adding that the increase would be directed to the disaster recovery programme.

Source: Jordan News Agency