Govt to unveil relief package to cushion Malawi citizens in lockdown
Minister of Health Jappie Mhango has said government will Friday announce far-reaching measures to cushion the the citizens from the massive blow that the coronavirus three-weeks lockdown will have on them.
Mhango told a news conference on Thursday – with members of the Special Cabinet committe that he heads – that as the spread of the coronavirus accelerates, government is working to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable are reflected in its response to the emergency.
Women, children, people with disabilities, the marginalized, unemployed, informal sector and the displaced, all most at risk of suffering devastating losses from Covid-19 lockdown .
“Government is aware of the hardship and inconvenience that the lockdown will inflict on the population during the 21-days and afterwards,” said Mhango.
He said on March 20, 2020 when President Peter Mutharika declared a state of disaster over the Covid-19 pandemic and consequent to this declaration, the mitigation and relief measures provided for under the Disaster Preparedness and Relief Act (Cap. 33:05) have been invoked in order to avert the consequent suffering of Malawians.
The minister said mitigations are in form of social safety nets to the vulnerable groups who live a hand-to-mouth type of subsistence.
Mhango said government will this Friday ” announce the specific measures” that it shall implement.
In a move to stave off a likely depression, President Mutharika directed that a special fund be created for Admarc to buy agricultural produce at competitive prices.
The President also instructed Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) to open up a voluntary tax compliance window for six months to allow taxpayers with arrears to settle their tax obligations in installments without penalty.
Mutharika also directing Reserve Bank to implement a win-win arrangement with commercial banks and micro-finance institutions to observe a three-month moratorium on interest and principal repayments for all loans contracted by micro, small and medium enterprises.
The FDH Bank has since announced compliance with such arrangement.
Mutharika also ordered an increase to Merdef loans from K13 billion to K15 billion to help micro, small and medium scale businesses that have been seriously affected by the pandemic.
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No one ever thought any government on earth would ever face this. No one in USA, Great Britain, South Africa, Malawi the list is endless, that one day a country’s hospital would run out of beds. Well! Financial planners teach us to save for rainy days am not sure if countries do take that lesson seriously. Secondly our other lesson is that politicians must learn to share. Share what? Whatever is in the kit. People know lock down is intended for everyone but those that have will stock up their fridges to the brim and that is why there is… Read more »
So Bakha govt, which starts unveiling relief measures or announcing lockdown. A Dada chindere Mhango uyu
If someone takes a loan from Merdef, with the lockdown where will he or she be buying supplies? and where will he be selling? Zikambani za nzeru. Things like free electricity and water can make sense, reduced price of food stuffs at ADMARC can make sense. Some other things will just be a loss of resources for example the reduction of fuel has no impact on poor citizens because the fares never went down. Only those who have cars are benefiting and not the poor.
Tell them
The Tippex government is full of bwampini
And Vindere
Net these fwitondoz
Jappie will announce the measures in due course…….I always say that Jappie and his fellow cadets think like coronavirus themselves. How would u first come up with lockdown dates and other arrangements but not knowing how to cushion poor people yet u would want them to vote for u…Kuganiza ngati abakha.
I have bn saying this all along. Jappiie and his committee are clueless. Jappiie munthawi yake
ngati Minister of Works timawona ma bridge osungunuka aja.
anazolowera kumata phula mmaso anthu.za nchito yaikulu conci sanapangepo.
kuzolowera.kumangoti tapanga ici. criticism sanaioneko.
not todays malawi
I shall in due course……Jappie and his fellow cadets, always think ngati abakha. Lockdown starts mawa and they still have no strategy…..
What exactly Mr Minister are you trying to tell us?
Full scale baba we are smashing this, hahahahahaha!
As usual, a knee-jerk reaction due to rising discontent amongst the governed and locked-down resource-poor population! I thought the relief packages should have been announced at the same time the lockdown was being spelled out? Please school me, People, if I’m wrong!!
“President Mutharika directed that a special fund be created for Admarc to buy agricultural produce at competitive prices.”
.
Does that mean that by Sunday the agricultural produce will be available to the needy? That is to say the fund will have been set up and fully subscribed to, and the produce purchased and sent to distribution points for the needy to collect.
Don’t fool us. These so called Medef loans are being given to DPP only. Anthu ozikonda inu muchokabe
‘Copy and paste’. But also stop the looting. FDH bank again. Shaaaaa!