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ministries for 2012 has crippled operations resulting in some social programmes to cushion poor people being abandoned.
It also emerged that some poor people who were receiving Government assistance in the health sector were now being turned away by some hospitals.
A snap survey by The Herald last week revealed that treasury released less than 50 percent of the revised budgets to the ministries.
The most affected are social ministries whose programmes are meant to reduce suffering among the poor.
Treasury mostly released money for recurrent expenditure while capital expenditure was not prioritised.
Labour and Social Services secretary, Mr Lancester Museka, said his ministry had received about US$13, 6 million from the US$31, 9 million revised allocation.
He said the large chunk of the money received was for Basic Education Assistance Module which received about US$5 million, a figure only sufficient to cover beneficiaries’ first term requirements.
“On health assistance we have only received about US$388 000 from the US$2 million revised allocation. On health interventions, we owe Government hospitals and clinics about US$1, 4 million.
“Patients who have the ministry’s assistance medical order are now being turned away from clinics and hospitals because of the debt,” said Mr Museka.
He said Treasury has also released US$600 000 for the harmonised social cash transfer programme from the US$2 million provided in the revised budget.
Mr Museka said his ministry had also received only US$200 000 from US$1, 5 million allocated for food mitigation.
Media, Information and Publicity secretary, Mr George Charamba, said his ministry received US$4, 9 million from about US$6, 3 million that was allocated in the revised budget.
“From that disbursement, about US$2 million was for capital expenditure for Transmedia meaning that the whole ministry with a staff complement of over 230 was only given about US$2, 9 million with over US$1 million going to salaries and other operational costs for the ministry and its parastatals staff,” he said.
“Transmedia was the only parastatal that was given capital expenditure out of the five.”
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development secretary, Mr Ngoni Masoka, received US$124, 9 million from the budget allocation of US$185 million.
Employment costs which chewed about US$45, 8 million.
Public Works director for finance and administration, Mr Christopher Dube, said his ministry has so far received about US$23, 5 million against an allocation of US$37, 4 million.
He said the ministry’s mandate was to maintain Government buildings in good shape.
“We thought we would be given enough money for maintaining those buildings but the area isn’t really covered. This has seriously affected our projects,” said Mr Dube.
The Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development received US$2,1 million from a budget allocation of US$5, 7 million.
This, the ministry said, resulted in a drastic reduction in interventions to prop the SME sector.
“Our parastatal, Small Enterprises Development Corporation, only received US$200 000 from the US$2,1 million the ministry was allocated in the budget review.
“This money is supposed to be for issuing out loans to our business people but the money is not there,” said the ministry in a statement.
Secretary for Industry and Commerce Mrs Abigail Shonhiwa said her ministry received about US$4,4 million from an allocation of US$6,7 million. Finance Minister Tendai Biti and his secretary Mr Willard Manungo could not be reached for comment with the latter said to be out of the country.
Online Reporter