By Chinoyi Chipulu
Finance and National Planning minister Dr Situmbeko Musokoswane has presented a supplementary budget to Parliament estimated at K41.9 billion Kwacha to respond to the droughts being experienced in the country.
Speaking during a supplementary budget in Parliament today, Dr Musokotwane said of the proposed amount K8.3 billion Kwacha would be dedicated to facilitating the government drought response interventions in an effort to provide life-saving and early recovery assistance to the affected people.
Dr Musokoswane said K5.2 billion had been allocated to the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services for the Social Cash Transfer Programme top-up of K200 to all the 1.3 million households already enrolled in the existing Social Cash Transfer.
“This top-up of K200 will ensure that recipients under the existing Social Cash Transfer programme receive a total amount of K400 per month. It is aimed at alleviating the impact of high food prices among our vulnerable population during the drought response period,” he said.
He said K14.6 billion has been dedicated to address the external debt service obligations.
“These are the amounts owing to fuel suppliers and the electricity imports from Mozambique. The Supplementary Budget I am presenting today addresses these.As you can see, these problems of unpaid bills under the PF Government are being resolved step by step,” he said.
Dr Musokotwane proposed to implement a cash for work programme with an initial amount of two billion Kwacha which was expected to be increased to 3.8 percent in 2024 alone to support able bodied people whose crops failed.
“Government wants to ensure that no Zambian should die because of this drought, in this regard, I wish to re-affirm the Government commitment to ensuring that there is food security in the country amidst this drought,” he said.
Dr Musokoswane said K306.6 million had been allocated under the water supply and management sub-sector to help maintain and rehabilitate dams in the 84 affected districts as well as help government drill high production boreholes as well as provide the required water treatment chemicals for some water utility companies.
Under the livestock and wildlife sector, he said the government was proposing to spend an additional K460 million to heightened livestock disease control.
“This is to ensure that sufficient surveillance and vaccines are provided to curb dry spell-prone livestock diseases. The allocation will also cater for the protection of grazing areas and rangelands for livestock and wildlife as well as facilitating the provision of supplementary feeding for the animals,” said Dr Musokotwane.
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