7 Billion 548 Million Drams Allocated to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs

Today, the agenda of the government meeting includes the allocation of 7 billion 548 million drams from the reserve fund of the Government of the Republic of Armenia to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Mesrop Arakelyan stated that the purpose of the funding is to ensure the financing of a four-month assistance program for the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh in April. “Specifically, according to the government decision, during the months of March to June 2021, a monthly support of 68,000 drams will be provided to each citizen from Artsakh, excluding men aged 18 to 63,” he said.

He noted that so far, the total volume of support provided to the population of Artsakh amounts to about 33 billion drams, including the allocation made last month within the framework of this 7.5 billion drams. “In particular, we have a decision for about 22 billion drams according to the government-approved programs, one of which is this allocation, meaning that the total volume of allocated resources and government-approved allocations will amount to 55 billion drams. Last month, 101,000 citizens of Artsakh received assistance under this support program.”

Arakelyan reminded that according to government regulations, citizens who have already applied for assistance for March do not need to apply again for April, as the funds will be transferred to their bank accounts on the 20th of each month. “Pensioners and beneficiaries in Artsakh will receive their assistance together with their pensions and benefits to avoid additional issues. Part of this funding will be allocated to the government of Artsakh to ensure these frameworks. At the same time, there is a small group of citizens who, unfortunately, are facing certain issues with the databases or documents again, and we will make additional arrangements soon so that citizens who have been excluded from the assistance programs can also become beneficiaries of the program.” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan inquired about who benefits from this program. In response, Arakelyan noted that all citizens of the Republic of Artsakh are eligible for the program, except for men aged 18 to 63.

The decision was adopted.