 Madam Svika, as patriotic citizens and businesses, we are duty-bound to owner all our tax obligations. To this effect, government has made progress in increasing awareness among citizens on the importance of paying tax. Government, however, will continue to regularly report to citizens on how their tax revenues are utilized. We appreciate the work of the Ministry of Finance in that scope, regularly reporting. Because citizens need to know what's happening with their money. The introduction of online and mobile platforms by service providers has made it convenient and will continue to do so for our people and businesses to meet their tax obligations. We therefore urge our citizens to continue paying tax, as I said, under later authorities of individuals and companies who are deviants, those that are not paying tax. When we know them, let's whisper to somebody. Including those who evade taxes pure, just walk away from tax obligations. And we work hard to lower the tax burden. When we lower the tax burden, we expect compliance to go up. So where it works, we urge our citizens to always demand receipts for every purchase as part of their patriotic duty to promote tax compliance. Madam Svika, another area where we need to exercise a deep sense of patriotism is in safeguarding public and private property in our country. These assets are built at the huge cost to the treasurer, to the taxpayer, to the citizen and are a significant component of our collective wealth in this nation. Sadly, the country has continued to witness the loss of public property through vandalism and theft. It's a daily issue. It is regrettable that Zezco installations, water supply and sanitation infrastructure and school property for that matter in some of our communities have increasingly become targets of vandalism and theft. Not good, not acceptable. These acts of vandalism and reckless burning of boshes, for example, and theft, I must say, are retrogressive to our development efforts. They must be stopped and punished within our legal provisions. And no one should complain victimization when such is done because it's not acceptable. Self-guarding of public assets should also extend to how we utilize them. It is discerned into not that some people still view water drainages and road traffic islands along the roads as dumping grounds for garbage. Shamelessly, people dump garbage in these spaces. Garbage belongs elsewhere, not here. This is not only irresponsible, but also takes away from our rights to live and operate in clean and dignified environments. The recent call to outbreak, Madam Speaker, is a clear example of our citizens operating in unsustainable environmental situations. We cannot and we will not continue losing valued lives with this kind of reckless living. It is the duty of every one of us, every one of us, the local authorities, businesses, citizens alike to keep our country clean and to make it a place we should take more pride to live in. It's the duty of all of us. Local authorities should apply the available pieces of legislation to address the unsanitary conditions in our communities. They don't have to wait. The laws are there, including bylaws, to effect what we are saying here. Madam Speaker, to enhance national unity, the United Parties for National Development, the New Dawn Administration has ensured that the recruitment of public service workers, such as teachers, health workers, defence and security personnel is based on merit. Further, the recruitment has been transparently undertaken for the first time in a long time. At all districts across the country without segregation. The numbers are there again. Numbers don't lack. Anyone can access these numbers. To ensure equal opportunities for all our citizens is the reason this is happening. Consciously, we know some members of the ruling party complain and our answer is very simple. We elected the government to look after 20 million zambians, all of them, from all the 10 provinces, 116 districts, from 156 constituents, all of them without exception. I would like to hear, Madam Speaker, one who says in my district there has been nobody employed. I am looking for one, just one, not two. Madam Speaker, to promote an all-inclusive society, our administration has continued to distribute national resources equally I didn't say equally but I wish to say so as well and we will move to equity soon but our agenda was to ensure there is a quality first then we can move to equity because it's important to show, to demonstrate the intent of your government. This is evident in the implementation of the enhanced constituent development fund same tab, 156 constituencies but we know some constituencies, more people some constituencies that are bigger by geography, by land, we know but we had to start with an equitas not equitas, an equal perception and then we can move to equity later on because if we didn't do it, Mr. Speaker, there could have been other arguments now going on in our country. So we will address those issues at the right time. This is Madam Speaker, evident also in the way the CDF is being distributed from the central pool in terms of displacement across the country it's not just the allocation but the release of these funds for the first time it does not matter which constituents which party the MP comes from the cancerer comes from the resources are going and that's intentional it's not by chance it's intentional we also are clear Madam Speaker on social protection farmer input support even there we brought equality away from what was happening just a few years ago now all provinces all districts, all constituencies receive equal amounts quantum based on the farming communities in there very important very important and there are several other programs of this nature which are being implemented transparently unfair across the country Madam Speaker we will continue on this positive trajectory and take development to each and every part of our country in order to promote national unity for the benefit of all zambians 20 million of them 20 million of them and when we breed more those who will be taken account of democracy and constitutionalism Madam Speaker we are committed to deepening our democracy and constitutionalism as a shun and constitutionalism as the surest way through which our people can be assured of their freedoms and right to participate in decision making again statistics are there for everybody to see the ratings are there for everybody to see we don't have to say it ourselves in this regard we are delighted and honored that Zambia has been named among the top three most democratizing countries in the world Madam Speaker this has been done by an independent credible organization called VDEM this recognition underscores our government's continuous efforts to promote the virtues of democracy good governance and the rule of law Madam Speaker in order to broaden the ever expanding democratic space which this government has created and also increase the access to information we have made it possible for 44 new radio stations and 18 new television stations to be licensed countrywide in the last two and a half years Numbers are there these facilities can operate and shoot and will operate freely and without any interference whatsoever from governments more significantly political parties all political parties and I watch their programs Madam Speaker every night and civil society organizations are now able to make full use of these facilities to advance their agenda and hopefully the people's agenda no issue at all no threats of closures not necessary further to provide access to the ZNBC signal for radio one and two 15 15 new FM transmitters have been installed in some rural districts of eastern province northern western southern Ruapula and Muchinga provinces Madam Speaker again numbers don't lie Madam Speaker to enhance the participation of eligible voters in elections we have undertaken again for the first time although the law was there before continuous voter registration is now operational a program which is in line with the Electro process Act as I said the law was there but it was not implemented for whatever reason that doesn't matter it's now operational the program now covers all the 10 provincial centers of our country lovely country Zambia Madam Speaker to strengthen the legal and institutional frameworks for upholding the rule of law government has enacted judicial training Institute of Zambia Act number 14 of 2023 this house has enacted that act as you know this house is part of government all of us in this house are members of the government so which this establishes the judicial training institute commendable indeed thank you to this house the institute will facilitate continuous professional development for our judges judicial officers and other staff human dignity equity social justice equality and non-discrimination Madam Speaker Madam Speaker government has the responsibility to uphold a dignity of all our citizens as well as their right to social justice and equal treatment all over the country our development efforts are therefore centered on uplifting the livelihoods of all our people in our country in this regard provisional clean water and adequate sanitation quality education quality healthcare access to electricity social protection youth empowerment as well as provision of maternal health facilities Madam Speaker are key priority areas for this government in the whole country Madam Speaker through our flagship intervention under the enhanced constituent development fund which I mentioned earlier we now see equity quality and bring in equity now equality and social justice being restored many more of our children now have opportunity to learn in a dignified environment with several classroom blocks as we talk now being constructed several desks being supplied to schools as we sit here and speak this is happening across the country and we want to age all members of parliament counsellors council chairpersons mayors on this call to work together irrespective of political party just to deliver for the people of Zambia that's our request Madam Speaker I think it's fair I think it's logical I did mention about procurement of desks locally it's a pride for some of us who go around and I know you all do to see our young girls making desks having graduated from our artisano schools sense of success in one is body if you like further further some of our youth who were condemned to poverty to roaming around now as I said have access to skills development in order to improve their livelihoods more young people have benefited from skills development bassers in the consequences across the country while the vulnerable secondary school learners who couldn't afford to attend boarding schools are now happily attending boarding schools and for the first time Madam Speaker in the history of our country these bassers are decided at the constituents level not in Lusaka at the constituents level and the resource envelope is available right there tremendous Madam Speaker this is tremendous Madam Speaker going forward we have to promote community driven local development we will continue to provide bassers to our youth we will do more we will do more in this area Madam Speaker we are not turning back every year we will increase this allocation for our youth because we know this is the best investment not to the child only but to the family and I dare say to the economy in terms of skills Madam Speaker in order to support the kids after such training your government has provided empowerment grants and loans as well as a package in order to spread benefits to others Madam Speaker I mean some benefit today but in order to spread benefits to others all those citizens who get grants should not be wasteful they must utilize effectively these grants and facilities those who get loans should be able to repay these loans when they are due then we can recycle the money others can benefit very important Madam Speaker the culture of not paying loans back is something we should not support in this country damages credibility risk profiling it damages the lenders balance sheets doesn't matter whether it's public or private lender we must deliberately encourage each other to pay back loans and our children when they access them even grants as I said a grant is not to be wasted a grant is to be utilized properly for them to grow so they don't have to queue for another grant after a year or so very important Madam Speaker government has continued with provision of water and supply as I said sanitation service to ensure outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as Korila and Taiput in our communities are a thing of the past Madam Speaker I am law in morale we should be law in morale when we see lives that could be maintained are lost because of things associated with our own conduct not good we've made progress Madam Speaker in ensuring that our people have access to electricity as well through the rural electrification program and more we will continue being brought on board including many grids including enhancing solar I believe Madam Speaker this house and members of this house had our pronouncement in Chipata just a few days ago to pull down duties and taxes associated with energy provision and irrigation family and it will happen in this years we alignment of the budget Madam Speaker Madam Speaker the government is determined to improve the quality of education and we are focused on addressing the teacher pupil ratio as well as the learning infrastructure and overall environment overall environment big and loaded in this regard 7,221 teachers were recruited in 2023 in the 2023 teacher recruitment exercise and more classroom blocks as I said earlier on are being built we therefore edge all our newly recruited teachers this is extremely important all our newly recruited teachers should serve communities where they are posters and not just go and register there and then walk back to towns when such happens I think we must take the jobs away and give to others who want to serve the communities this we need to work together because MPs know which teacher is not there at the location where they were posters this way together similarly Madam Speaker we call on all our community to assist the newly recruited teachers and other public service workers to settle in in these for them young people strange environments we can assist them to settle in I think we shouldn't see them fail we should help them succeed by setting them in including business opportunities to build houses to rent to this because in their salaries I do believe there is some component of that facility so let's take this as an opportunity all of us especially rural members of parliament build one or two houses around the school so teachers or nurses can rent very important Madam Speaker Government has continued to implement a school feeding program now called Home Grown School Meals Program the rebranding of the program is meant to promote its sustainability through the use of nutritious local foods while supporting local farmers to this effect over 2.2 million vulnerable learners from 82 selected districts across the country are being supported under the Home Grown School Meals Program we call upon local businesses churches NGOs table society to join government by adopting schools for home grown schools meals Madam Speaker in our continued efforts to promote inclusive development 3,300 vulnerable youth across the country have been provided with grants under the national youth scheme our youth we are also being empowered with motorbikes yes with motorbikes on lawn basis I talked about lawns area these are all initiatives aimed at enabling them to venture into income generating activities so they don't queue for handouts so we queue the habit of queuing for handouts because it's destructive we are also offering our youth skills training in various fields I said it already graduates from these youth resource centers are doing a tremendous job tremendous job tremendous job and it is our duty and the government has continued to assist them with startup kits such as sewing machines toolboxes welding machines catering equipment this is practical this is to a community of our population which was ignored at our time if you qualify to invest you go to a bus but the colleagues that didn't go to invest were left on their own now this government is attending to them and attending to them seriously Madam Speaker in our continued efforts to enhance timely access to justice five local courts were constructed and eight rehabilitated across the country while legal legal aid offices were established in five additional districts across the country government has also established legal aid desks in police stations right in the police stations and correction of facilities to allow accused persons access to legal services at a point of need some of us know what that means additionally legal services legal services units have been established in various districts of the country to provide community outreach services legal services the number of citizens who received legal aid services in 2023 was 1556 across the country Madam Speaker to further promote equity and human dignity the new dawn UPND government administration has continued to implement various social protection programs this includes social cash transfer shock responsible social protection shock such as drought imagine cash transfer and the food security pack the shock responsible social protection program aims to cushion the beneficiaries of the social cash transfer from the negative effects of climate change as I said especially the current droughts in addition we continue to provide vulnerable but viable households with farming inputs under the food security pack program we would like feedback Madam Speaker from the members of parliament so we can better what we are doing for the people Madam Speaker overcrowding in correctional facilities remains a source of concern to government the current inmate population in the country is over 25,000 again as the holding capacity of 10,650 to address overcrowding in correctional facilities Madam Speaker government is expanding open air correctional centers across the country the open air correctional facilities for example in Dansanga in Wembeshi and Momboshi two different places have been expanded creating an additional holding capacity to accommodate over 3,000 inmates Madam Speaker government is also promoting the imposition of non-castodial sentences for minor offenses and the continued granting of police bond to decongest police sales and bail on flexible conditions not asking for surities who are civil servants as it used to be civil servants civil servants would be scared of being surities so this is now liberal and all bailable offenses and I insist some people sitting in this room know I talk to them regularly that when a matter is bondable give bond a matter is bailable give bail there is no issue about that no issue about that good governance and integrity Madam Speaker Madam Speaker we are committed to and will continue maintaining law and order in our country as this is important for social order and economic development we therefore thank our citizens across the country for maintaining peace this far we particularly thank our citizens in areas where we have had by elections since the August 2021 elections for the peaceful atmosphere exhibited so far it was gratifying Madam Speaker to see members of opposing political parties freely mingling Madam Speaker it was gratifying to see members of opposing political parties freely mingling during their campaigns including in Shuangandu of Mochinga province it was a volatile area just a few years ago but I was very happy to see members campaigning for more political parties and laughing, joking then they go and campaign to the voters that's how it should be there's more political space now than ever before Madam Speaker may we also take this opportunity to thank our women and youth across the country for turning out in huge numbers to commemorate their days women's day and youth day and all political parties who wish to participate were there what a joy that's how the country should be and we should not allow to regress we should not go back to the dark days we must improve we can do more but we should do more together in this direction Madam Speaker we remain family committed to upholding the tenets of good governance and integrity our resolve is to underscore is underscored by the measures we have instituted in the fight against corruption and maladministration Madam Speaker we are making progress in our fight against corruption to strengthen collaboration and the efficient among law enforcement agencies government establish the asset recovery Interagence Coordination Framework in 2023 through this framework millions of kwacha I must say Madam Speaker millions of kwacha maybe some members of our community our country do not know but millions of kwacha in movable non movable assets including cash have been recovered maybe we are not doing well in reporting we should report transparent and open and more government has also strengthened the legal framework on the management of forfeited assets through the issuance of statutory instrument number 13 of 2023 Madam Speaker we share the concerns and frustrations by our people over the delayed dispose of cases related to corruption and financial and economic crimes to address this concern government has issued statutory instrument number 10 of 2024 to provide for speedy disposal of such cases justice delayed justice denied in this fight against corruption we are encouraged by the fact that our people and other stakeholders are beginning to acknowledge the impact of these efforts this is evident in the improved score and ranking on the recent transparency international corruption perception index again independent body we have nothing to do with that body but their results are open for we will surely continue with our efforts for more tangible and lasting results and Madam Speaker these changes are good for the accused changes are good for society for the prosecutors as well because we need to discharge these cases quickly but fairly I want to repeat Madam Speaker what I've said several times no one should be arrested before an investigation is done if the investigation is not done leave people alone and continue with your investigation and when you have the evidence you arrest then bond 10 hours you arrest 14 hours bond Madam Speaker if the matter is not bondable 10 hours you arrest 14.30 you are in court and bail must be granted I say that already this is not a joke this is serious and then prosecute quickly and we get on with our lives thank you Madam Speaker to improve access to public services for our people government has continued implementing the digital transformation initiative the digital transformation initiative has minimized face to face interaction with service providers this has reduced the risk of corruption in the delivery of public services so far 300 public services are being accessed on the ZAM portal also referred to as the government service bus using the ZAM portal for instance the minister of lands has now started issuing title deeds to be specific 39,691 title deeds certificate of title have been issued through this platform big change the glitches the effort is to continue to clean up the glitches Madam Speaker we have also accelerated digital transformation to enhance service delivery decentralization which for a long time Madam Speaker decentralization for a long time remain the mayor rhetoric but is now reality is now reality we are pleased to report that through the decentralization process some public services with matching resources have been taken closer to the citizens these include district health services veterinary services as well as maritime and pontoon services our people are now able to participate in decisions that affect their welfare from within their communities not in Lusaka Lusaka is not Zambia Zambia is not Lusaka we are all aware that this government has increased the constituents development fund as I say from a poultry 1.6 million per constituents per year to 30.6 million it's here it's here it's real it's hard to utilize this money to benefit those who put us in office across the country to improve the rate of utilization of these funds we have decentralized the approval of projects from the minister of local government in Lusaka and rural development to provincial administration centers we urge all members of parliament you the members of parliament to work closely with local authorities family implementation of projects for the benefit of our people in our country madam speaker to promote transparency and accountability in the management of public affairs we enacted the access to information act number 24 of 2023 as you know this has been sitting around this house for over 20 years no one had the courage to enact it this government has done it the UPND administration has walked a talk on this one we are delivering on our promises access to information in our country is now law is not just a discussion point it is now law and we must utilize it sustainable development madam speaker we have a duty to utilize our resources and manage the environment in a sustainable manner we all have an obligation to work towards addressing challenges of pollution climate change and over exploitation of natural resources madam speaker as government your government we are committed to collaborating with all stakeholders including political parties members of parliament council as chairman mayas all of our community traditional we are committed to working together in our quest to combat the effects of climate change the current drought is one clear example which we must fight together and win of course irrigation farming increased productivity of course water harvest approvals for water permits wama zema project approvals cannot be business as usual these must fall in line like yesterday to help us fight this drought madam speaker to turn this drought from a calamity into an opportunity to change our country forever to anchor it on irrigation farming for certainty for higher productivity we can't do this alone madam speaker we need to do it together to ensure food security energy security two double tragedies energy security or insecurity food insecurity obviously constitute national insecurity but we shall overcome as we work together in this space our efforts madam speaker to plant two million trees by 2028 have gained momentum thus far 645,000 trees have been planted on 538 hectares of land we need to double triple kwad our efforts to plant more trees to serve the earth for ourselves and our future generations with this adverse climate conditions being first we call on all our citizens to desist from the habit of destroying nature grass trees topography overall bad farming habits following gullies we need to save human lives livestock our crops when I say livestock I mean domesticated madam speaker and those in the world it's part of our assets we call on new members of parliament we call on traditional leaders and other stakeholders to join government in sensitizing communities on these negative vices we wish to commend the private sector for supplementing governments efforts by putting in place similar initiatives aimed at combating the effects of climate change madam speaker carbon trading is a cardinal issue carbon trading is cardinal issue and in addressing the effects of climate change as it promotes conservation of forest and forest resources across the globe carbon trading carbon market becomes extremely essential forest and trees are vital in reducing greenhouse gas emissions government will work with all stakeholders in the sensitization on the issues of carbon markets so that our citizens including members of this august house and traditional leaders and the church appreciate how carbon markets operate today if you talk about carbon markets people say what is it talking about so this government is working to make sure that we can all understand how these markets operate and your government has now temporarily seized signing any agreements around carbon markets because we don't want to sign wrong agreements and lock ourselves in so three critical issues one what is the market what is the turn of carbon we all need to have a general understanding number two what is the pricing what is the correct pricing of a turn of carbon so we don't leave money on the table number three madam speaker the redistribution of economic benefits or resources all money simply arising from carbon trade so your government is working very hard cooperating with international organizations in these three elements and we are happy that we are making progress in that space I want to emphasize madam speaker the communities that protect the carbon assets must be the ones benefiting more so that we can move them away from the negative biases by giving them alternative options big keeping small mining big mining legally, correctly we can move them into activities where funds arising from carbon market trade are directed in their way that's the message here madam speaker good agricultural practice play in achieving sustainable development to this effect government in collaboration with our development partners has been promoting climate smart agriculture we are pleased that so far 147,412 small scale farmers country wide are using climate smart agriculture technologies we need to accelerate the adoption of these technologies to mitigate the impact of climate change madam speaker as already mentioned to reduce the dependence on rain fed agriculture we are aggressively promoting the development of irrigation schemes for our farmers micro small, media, large all together in order for them to produce throughout the year last year madam speaker I attended in njimba what we called launch of the planting season under that function in njimba of eastern province I said this is the last time I am doing this because there is nothing called a planting season we should be planting every month we should be harvesting every month so that activity is now redundant it's monthly harvest planting that's where we should be going madam speaker we have continued to construct water harvesting facilities dams, weirs surface water underground water water mapping is where now some of the money in the budget relocation over so we know where the water resources sit we don't sink bores anywhere we sink bores where we know the water is there so we are not wasteful so we save money but we should be able to re-get as well madam speaker this is in line with our declaration of the current drought as a national disaster and national images and following this declaration as I said the 2024 national budget is being reviewed to move resources madam speaker away from consumption expenditure habits bad habits workshops perpetual workshops to meet to talk about the next meeting no money will be moved away from those areas which we use the parliamentarians that already approved we are now asking you to revisit that and move money to areas such as water harvest to start with priorities to feed our people and then to move into sustainable irrigation best agriculture with higher productivity levels that's the core and we do believe this house will support this budget realignment days ahead from today in conclusion madam speaker in the past one year we continue to make notable progress in the application of our national values and principles we have been steadfast in the fight against corruption in the fight against alcohol and substance abuse in the fight against early marriages in the fight against gender based violence we will continue to institute crime mitigation measures including madam speaker gun control gun control we are seeing too much use of guns excessive use of guns and the minister responsible has been directed to put controls around there I guess he has already made a statement on the floor of this house and it will be accelerated and implemented I would rather buy a plow than a gun our efforts to promote morality and human dignity to provide adequate sanitation madam speaker to uphold good governance as well as to ensure sustainable social economic development anchored on hard work madam speaker hard work and not laziness not queuing for handouts working for something in return you can have what you want this culture must shift and shift quickly slows down our economic reconstruction agenda you see it every day I see it every day it became something abnormal to talk about hard work because the normalcy was laziness and the handsome returns how can that be how can a nation develop on that basis so madam speaker I ask this house that we work together this path of promoting hard work and kicking out laziness from our societies across the country accountability of course no question about it I want to say madam speaker you what we are saying we will reap dividends no question about it muza korola zome muna biala I simply mean we will reap what we plant what we saw that is our message here there is so correctly we will reap positive results we admit madam speaker that more needs to be done whatever we have said today here more needs to be done we understand we acknowledge that and we will need the support of others including our colleagues from different political parties religious organizations global community madam speaker our national values and principles are critical to national development as citizens we have an agent and compelling duty to fulfill our national values and principles which should never be sacrificed for anyone and for any reason for anyone and for any reason every one of us every stand we take for morality and ethics every act of patriotism every step towards unity every activity aimed at strengthening the fabric of our nation our national in line with our motto one zambia one nation we see it as an opportunity absolutely one zambia one nation one nation one people we see this as an opportunity we understand our democracy constitutional democracy constitutional we come and go but all leaders must work for the people of zambia at any time so as a nation and in line with our motto one zambia one nation one people every opportunity we see we must use it to promote human dignity and social justice every stand must be for good and integrate every effort to uphold democracy and constitutionalism as sure as our nation of the future we aspire to have for us and for our genetic material to come after us a nation in which we as a zambian family can raise capable responsible decent and successful children and citizens madam speaker as our country 1060 on the 24th of October this year let us all strive to be the best we can be now and into the future let us commit to always doing good to do good for this great nation to always to always be good to each other within our democratic dispensation we must work to do good to each other within our competitive democratic constitutional democratic dispensation we can achieve both these are not contradictions let us always stand for and live by our national values and principles indeed let us elect to walk this path as one zambia one nation one people under one God under one God madam speaker madam speaker may they all might God bless us all may they all might God bless our motherland zambia madam speaker I thank you and I beg to move