While planned public investments in Turkey for 2022 amounts to 13.6 billion US dollars (184 billion TL), more than a quarter of all investments has been allocated to those in the transport and communications industry.
The total investments saw an annual fall of 26% from 18.4 billion dollars for 2021. The share of the transport and communications industry was 30.7% last year.
According to a report by Deutsche Welle Turkish, significant funds will be used for the construction of new prisons, for the construction of border walls and for state intelligence activities.
Planned investments for new prisons amount to 150 million dollars, for border walls to 75 million dollars, and for intelligence activities to 90 million dollars, totalling 315 million dollars.
The funds allocated to investments for the Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MİT) amounts to 61 million dollars alone.
Another significant investment item in 2022 are the presidential residencies scattered around the country. The funds allocated to investments for the residencies in the capital of Ankara, in the western province of Muğla and in the southeastern province of Bitlis total 35 million dollars.
The annual investment plans are now prepared by the Strategy and Budget Directorate of the Turkish Presidency following the transition to the presidential system in 2018.
Prisoner number increases 130% in 10 years
The total number of convicts and individuals in custody more than doubled in 10 years in Turkey, and the existing prison capacity is insufficient.
While the number of prisoners was 128,000 in 2010, it reached 295,000 in November 2021 according to the Turkish justice ministry statistics. The capacity of the existing 384 prison houses is 266,000, 30,000 short of the required capacity.
