A Cabinet sitting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan. Opening the meeting, the Prime Minister said, “Yesterday we paid a visit to Shirak Marz and called at several local communities. We are facing a serious problem, with about 21 communities having lost 100% of crops due to a devastating hailstorm. I have instructed the local governments, the community administrations, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Territorial Administration to set up a joint commission to look into the problem. The commission is given a deadline to identify the extent of the damage by the next Cabinet sitting so that the Government may take a decision to support the affected farmers. It has come to my knowledge that we face a similar situation in Stepanavan. I hereby order the Minister of Agriculture to travel to Stepanavan and study the situation on the spot after the cabinet meeting.”
The meeting amended five previous decrees to harmonize those government decisions aimed at enforcing the National Assembly-approved new funded pension-related laws that were enacted on July 1, 2014.
The State Property Management Department-managed 160 homes as provided to children left without parental care for 10-year free use were handed over as social housing to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs Ministry, which currently supervises the Social Housing Service Center SNCO.
The meeting approved a national program of action aimed at improving Armenia’s performance under the Global Competitiveness Index. Progress reports shall be submitted to the Ministry of Economy by the 10th working day of the month following each half-year. The Minister of Economy was old to summarize the reports so delivered and submit relevant information to the Government Staff on the 15th working day of the month following each half-year.
The Government amended one of its earlier decisions and made reallocations in the 2014 State budget to ensure that the proceeds of the grant facility signed between the State Migration Service of the Ministry of Territorial Administration of the Republic of Armenia and the Repatriation and Departure Service of the Ministry of Security and Justice of the Kingdom of the Netherlands be used for the reintegration of those 100 Armenia citizens who have been forced to return to Homeland. The reintegration implies support to enter the labor market or to start a small business, take educational or vocational training courses, get social, legal, medical assistance and temporary accommodation, airport arrival or other personal needs.
According to the aforementioned grant agreement, the Ministry of Territorial Administration-affiliated State Migration Service shall provide each repatriated citizen a maximum of 1000 euros during a year. To this end, over 31 million drams in 2014 and about 37 million in 2015 shall be credited to the State Migration Service’s off-budget account.
