800 benefit from social cash transfer in Ikelenge

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 06:20:37 +0000

By JACKSON MAPAPAYI

G0VERNMENT has so far disbursed a total of K390,000 to 802 beneficiaries under the social cash transfer in Ikeleng’e district since the programme was rolled out to the district in December 2015.

Acting Ikeleng’e district social welfare officer Ruby Chilamba-Mukosha said in an interview yesterday that the funds were disbursed between May and September last year from the 2016 allocation. Ms Mukosha said the programme has received overwhelming response from the local people in the district.

‘’The programme has really impacted positively on the lives of the many vulnerable households in the district,’’ she said.

Ms Mukosha said the money has helped beneficiaries to buy iron sheets to build permanent structures for their families while others were engaging in chicken and goat rearing.

She said the programme was targeting the vulnerable in communities such as the aged, persons living with disabilities, female-headed households keeping orphans and those who were chronically ill.

Meanwhile, Ikeleng’i town council has allocated a total of K400,000 to work on feeder roads in the district.

Acting district council director of works Nelson Mfune said in an interview that the works were expected to start soon once the rain season was over.

Mr Mfune said most of the roads in the district were in a deplorable state and needed urgent attention. ‘’The funds are part of the equalisation fund that the council receives from the central government,’’ he said.

Mr Mfune said the feeder roads once worked on will help farmers in the area to access markets for their produce such as pineapples.