Pashinyan Instructs to Continue Identifying 'Fake' Beneficiaries

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, a discussion was held today at the government regarding the budget proposal of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs for 2020. This information was provided by the government.

The Prime Minister noted that when reviewing the budget proposals from state agencies for 2020, it is essential to consider the trends of 2019 and to fairly balance current and capital expenditures for the following year.

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zaruhi Batoyan presented the implemented and ongoing works in the fields of employment assurance, job encouragement, radical improvement of the benefits system, reforming elderly and child care centers, filling vacant positions, and providing social support.

Speaking about the reform of elderly care centers, Zaruhi Batoyan mentioned that a pilot program is planned to be implemented next year at the “Gyumri House-Internat” State Non-Commercial Organization, with services to be outsourced to a private organization.

Regarding the processes connected to child care centers, the ministry will continue its current policy under which daytime care services are expected to be provided, with development centers formed based on needs assessment, prioritizing educational components, and integrating the private sector into service delivery.

It was noted that, according to studies, in the currently operational centers, some of which have already been dissolved, more staff are registered than children, and the planned reforms will enable a significantly larger number of children to benefit from these services than at present.

Prime Minister Pashinyan addressed the reforms taking place in these areas and gave several instructions for further actions. In particular, when discussing the improvement of the benefits system, the government leader observed that this system should encourage work as much as possible, as well as it is crucial to adequately and continuously inform citizens about the opportunities created by the reform.

Regarding the new development centers for child care, the Prime Minister emphasized that ensuring adequate education should be a priority, and it is necessary to move toward outsourcing services to private organizations.

Nikol Pashinyan also instructed to continue the work on identifying 'fake' beneficiaries, increasing the process of non-cash payments for pensions, expanding the use of digital technologies in the labor and social sectors, as well as ensuring the effective and target-oriented implementation of the “Work in Armenia” program.

The head of government instructed the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs to submit a strategic development plan for the sector by the end of the year.