Africa-Press – Cape verde. The State Budget for 2024 dedicates 3.4 billion contos to the social protection and inclusion sector, an amount that represents an increase of 400 thousand contos compared to the previous year, Fernando Elísio Freire announced today.
State Budget for 2024 dedicates 3.4 million escudos to social protection
The minister, who oversees the Family, Inclusion and Social Development portfolio, spoke to Inforpress about the State Budget for 2024 (OE’2024), adding that with this amount they will continue to invest in consolidating social policies that already exist at the moment.
According to the government official, the biggest slice of the pie goes to the social protection sector, which has an expenditure of around two million contos and around 27 thousand pensioners on the non-contributory regime.
He revealed that the document allocates around 700 thousand contos for social inclusion income, which will allow an increase in the number of beneficiaries, from 2,300 families to 9,200 and an increase of 522 non-contributory pensions.
For next year, he said that it is also planned to develop a set of day centers and support centers for teenagers and the creation of a children’s emergency center in Santiago Norte and Santo Antão.
The OE’2024 also foresees an increase in funds for medical evacuations abroad, from around 350 thousand contos to 420 thousand contos, thus allowing around 500 people evacuated under the non-contributory regime and their companions.
In terms of the materialization of strategies to eradicate extreme poverty, he said that the Fundo Mais program has been financing all measures, programs and projects to eradicate extreme poverty.
Within the strategy to eradicate extreme poverty, he explained that the program will increase the number of beneficiaries of social inclusion income, school transport, exemption from the health moderate fee, exemption from tuition fees and social housing programs.
On the other hand, he highlighted that the Government will continue with the social tariff policy for electricity and water, which has a bonus of around 50%.
Fernando Elísio Freire assured that the Government will continue to work to further reduce the extreme poverty rate, which is around 9.1% and so that people have access to income, health, education, housing, sanitation, water and electricity .
According to the minister, this is a much more “inclusive” budget, focusing on the development of human capital, social protection, child protection, always taking into account gender equity and equality.
The State Budget for 2024 has an exact value of 85,948,752,206 escudos, and its main pillars are the search for economic stability, the promotion of reforms and investments to create jobs and the commitment to protecting the most vulnerable, aiming for development sustainability and social cohesion in the country.
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