By NATION REPORTER
CABINET has approved, in principle, the introduction of a bill in parliament to amend the National Pension Scheme Act No. 40 of 1996 so as to provide members of the scheme an option to access part of the contributions before retirement.
Government made a policy pronouncement on the need for a partial access to pension contributions by members of the National Pension Scheme through President Hakainde Hichilema’s inaugural ad[1]dress to parliament, the UPND manifesto 2021-2026 and the 2022 budget speech, combined, as some of the pol[1]icy documents that have pronounced the introduction of partial pension benefits. Chief Government spokes[1]person Chushi Kasanda said in a statement that the decision was arrived at during the 24th cabinet meeting held on Friday, chaired by President Hichilema at State House.
Ms Kasanda who is Minister of Information and Media said the National Pension Scheme Act No. 40 of 1996, in its current form, did not allow for the implementation of the policy pronouncement on partial access to pension contributions by its members She stated that to implement the policy pronouncement, it was necessary for the act to be amended adding that cabinet was convinced that this was a good policy decision as it would allow employees to start planning for their retirement early.
During the meeting, Ms. Kasanda said cabinet approved, in principle, the introduction in parliament of a bill entitled “the Constituency Development Fund amendment bill, 2022, to repeal and replace the Constituency Development Fund Act No. 11 of 2018. She said cabinet observed that the CDF Act, enacted in 2018, did not adequately provide for the manner of de[1]centralization as envisaged by government and further that there was need to strengthen the application, disbursement and management of the Fund.
Ms Kasanda added that with the monumental increase of CDF, it was necessary that there was no impediment in the provision of services to the people who should ensure development was delivered in the most-quicker manner to facilitate increased absorption of the CDF countrywide. She said the new dawn ad[1]ministration had prioritised decentralisation as a major driver for attaining broad[1]based development; reducing poverty; and enhancing job creation through citizen engagement and participation at the local level. Ms Kasanda stated that cabinet approved, for publication and introduction in Parliament during the cur[1]rent sitting, the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2022. She said the objective of the Bill was to amend the Penal Code so as to replace the death penalty with life imprisonment and repeal the offence of defamation of the President. “The Penal Code Act, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia, was enacted in 1930 to establish a code of criminal law and penalties of criminal offences. However, from the time of its enactment, the Penal Code has never been re[1]viewed and it contains archaic provisions including the death penalty and the offence of defamation of the President,” he said
