Govt injects K500m in social cash transfer 

Wed, 31 May 2017 11:32:42 +0000

BY JOSSY CHAIMA

GOVERNMENT has pledged to provide K500 million towards the social cash transfer programme, says permanent secretary in the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, Reverend Howard Sikwela.

Speaking when he paid a courtesy call on Kitwe district commissioner yesterday, Mr Sikwela said  Government will allocate K500 million of its own funds towards the scheme in addition to K200 million to be provided by cooperating partners.

The K700 million for the social cash transfer scheme was to ensure that every one who needed help was covered. He said this year the scheme was targeting 590 households.

“The social cash transfer is mandated to cover people with disabilities and in this year we are targeting about 590 households and Government alone is saying that it will put K500 million and other stakeholders K200 million – to make it K700 million,” he said.

Dr Sikwela said officers from his ministry have been sent to all the districts in the country to ensure that everyone who needed help was captured.

He said Government wanted to ensure that all vulnerable groups were included to the programme.

And Mr Mpundu said his office was failing to handle the pleas of vulnerable people due to lack of funds as the levels vulnerability have increased.

“I must say that the levels of vulnerability have become high and quite alarming and the number of people that come to us for help we fail to handle them due to limited finances,” he said.

“Your ministry is particularly important for us who are working at district level because much of the problems that people face help comes from the Social Welfare Department. Hence we value the contribution you render to the people with vulnerability and alleviating poverty among the people,” the DC said.