By MOFFAT CHAZINGWA –
GOVERNMENT has assured that it will pay the K37 million arrears in allowances for staff engaged in the mobile National Registration Card (NRC) registration exercise.

. MWILA

Home Affairs Minister Davies Mwila said arrangements to settle the arrears as soon as possible, were already underway.
Mr Mwila said this in Kitwe at the weekend, when he paid a courtesy call on District Commissioner Chanda Kabwe, who raised concerns over the delays to pay staff engaged in the mobile issuance of NRCs.
Mr Kabwe wanted to know when Government would settle the allowances because the continued delay was slowly eroding the morale of those that were engaged in the exercise.
The minister said the Treasury had been engaged with the view of presenting the involved supplementary estimates for settling the allowances to Parliament as was now required under the new Constitution.
He said once Parliament approved the K37 million supplementary estimates, the money would be paid.
“We have taken note of the concerns and I must say that we have engaged the Treasury in the matter because under the new Constitution, the supplementary estimates have to be taken to Parliament for approval before payment can be made,” he said.
Mr Mwila called on all staff that were involved in the mobile NRC exercise not to despair as Government was seriously looking into their welfare.
Meanwhile, Mr Mwila said Government was in firm control over the issue of mealie-meal smuggling and that necessary measures had been taken to ensure sufficient supply of the commodity.
He said the coming on board of the Zambia Correctional Service (ZCS) formerly Prisons Service,  to produce mealie-meal through its Kalonga Milling plant in Kabwe,  had  helped to stabilise  supply of the commodity.
Mr Mwila said the ZCS had entered into a contract with the Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF) for the supply of maize to Kalonga Milling which was producing 3,000 bags of mealie-meal a day.