2018-04-19
Today, a Government meeting was held at the Administration of the Government under the chairmanship of Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili. The Cabinet discussed 26 issues on its meeting agenda and two additional issues.
On the Government's decree, 14 additional villages were granted the status of high-mountainous settlements. The concessions defined in the Law of Georgia on the Development of High-Mountainous Regions will become available to the residents of the village of Lichi in the Sachkhere Municipality, the villages of Melusheeti, Begiauri, Mandaeti, and Tzkalshavi in the Chiatura Municipality, the villages of Zvare, Chrdili, and Gedsamania in the Kharagauli Municipality, the villages of Tadzrisi and Sakire in the Borjomi Municipality, the village of Brdazori in the Marneuli Municipality, the village of Ghogheti in the Kareli Municipality, the village of Khani in the Baghdati Municipality, and the village of Mukhura in the Tkibuli Municipality.
As of today, 1715 settlements enjoy the status of a high-mountainous settlement.
Concessions have been used by 7,272 households who had children in 2017, 69,803 pensioners, 14,150 social package recipients, 11,395 pedagogues, 574 doctors, 989 nurses, 295 residents working in the area of sports, also enterprises have used tax breaks, and 77,973 households received power utility bill cuts.
In addition, to implement different projects in the high-mountainous regions, 10 million GEL was allocated, of which 3 million for the Plant the Future program implemented by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture to plant bacciferous cultivars in the mountainous areas. 7 million GEL was allocated to the program for rational use of state-owned hayfields and pastures, which was designed to promote agricultural cooperatives.
Legally prescribed social benefits apply to pensions, with no less than 20% added to the amount of the state pension, also 20% added monthly to the social package. Additional monthly pay is awarded to the medical personal of the medical facilities (whose labor is remunerated from Georgia's state budget) established with the state's partial participation and under the state's management in high-mountainous settlements. Physicians receive twice the state pension, nurses the amount of the state pension. The benefits also include providing heating to permanent residents of high-mountainous settlements throughout winter (from October 15 of a given year through April 15 of the following year), reimbursement of 50% of the monthly electricity bill, but not exceeding 100 kW/h. No less than 100 GEL in monthly monetary assistance provided for one year for first and second children born after the enactment of the law, and no less than 200 GEL in monthly monetary assistance provided for two years for third and every subsequent child. Additional pay for teachers in schools of general education amounts to no less than 35% of the basic salary of a teacher of a public school, and additional pay for teachers of vocational schools amounts to no less than 35% of the salary, also expanded vouchers issued to students of public schools, multisector public schools, and vocational schools.
On the Government's decision, 8 entrepreneurial entities have been granted the status of an enterprise in a high-mountainous settlement. This status is currently enjoyed by 307 entrepreneurial entities.
Legal entities with the status of an enterprise in a high-mountainous settlement are exempt from profit and property taxes for ten years, and individual entrepreneurs from property and income taxes.
On the Government's decision, a tea manufacturing plant will be established in the Chkhorotzku Municipality. To this end, under the Tea Plantation Rehabilitation state-run program, the Kolkhuri Taiguli registered cooperative, which puts together 12 shareholders, received 39,200 square meters of agricultural land for 25-year lease in the village of Napichkhovo, Chkhorotzku Municipality.
Under the Produce in Georgia state program, a ceramics factory will be established in the Kaspi District, for which Keramika El Torentes LLC will receive from the state non-agricultural land and its facilities to own for a symbolic price of one GEL.
The company will assume a responsibility to the state to invest 500,000 GEL in the course of two years to create the factory and to employ 25 people.
The Government also approved the Grant Program for Reintegration Assistance to Migrants Returning to Georgia.
In 2015-2017, the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation spent a total of 1,590,000 GEL on reintegration activities. Notably, despite the limited budget, for three years, to attract a revenue source, social projects were financed for 328 returnee migrants. Given the urgency of this issue, the state expanded the amount allocated to the reintegration program in 2018 to amount to 650,000 GEL.
The Grant Program for Reintegration Assistance to Migrants Returning to Georgia also involves the provision of medical services and medications, facilitation of professional training/retraining, and allocation of temporary accommodation.
Prime Minister's Press Office