2020-10-29
Today's Government meeting at the Administration of the Government was held under the chairmanship of Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia. The Cabinet discussed 7 issues on its meeting agenda.
Prime Minister Makes Statements During Session of Government
The global epidemiological situation is worsening and this is particularly evident in Europe; in our country as well, unfortunately, the number of the cases of infection is increasing. However, as you know, we are in the midst of the preelection process; the elections will take place in a few days and, unfortunately, we see that certain irresponsible political forces are trying to use the epidemic, as well as the global pandemic, in the context of political interests, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia stated during the session of the government.
The Prime Minister called on all political entities to demonstrate greater responsibility.
"I would like to call on all political players to demonstrate greater responsibility. Let us care for our citizens together, follow the rules together, and urge our citizens to wear face masks together. Following the rules is the only correct path that leads to fewer restrictions. Following the rules is the only correct balance between protecting the health and the lives of our citizens and minimizing the damage done to the economy. Elections of extreme importance for the country will be held on 31 October. The rules set by epidemiologists will be fully observed at all polling stations and, together, we must all show the world how we can hold one of the best, democratic, open elections in Georgia under the conditions of COVID-19," the head of the government stated.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the third wave of the government's Anti-Crisis Support Plan, which entails supporting businesses, as well as providing social support to citizens.
As Giorgi Gakharia noted, the population will be reimbursed for utility bills for four months starting from 1 November, using the same principle as in the first phase of the Anti-Crisis Plan.
"This will take place over the next four months starting from November and, just as during the previous stage, it will apply to every household that will use up to 200 kilowatt-hours of electricity, as well as up to 200 cubic meters of natural gas. Water and waste disposal bills will also be reimbursed. This is the minimum that the state can do to support our citizens today. We believe that this is extremely important for the people who have lost their income due to the pandemic and the global crisis. We understand that many of our citizens might not require such support, and, from today on, they will be able to refuse this support from the government on the basis of an application," Giorgi Gakharia stated.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the grape harvesting process and thanked the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as the minister, for the successful delivery of the harvest for processing.
"This was the record harvest in the history of independent Georgia, in the last 30 years, and our winemakers, together with the government and the state, received 277,000 tonnes for processing. This was one of the best grape harvests, as well as a challenging harvest under the conditions of the pandemic. We did everything in our power to support our winegrowers and our peasants. The harvest was successful in Racha-Lechkhumi as well, where a record harvest of up to 1,400 tonnes of different varieties of grapes was delivered for processing. The peach and apple harvests, which are ongoing at the moment, were also successful and I would like to thank the Ministry of Agriculture and Mr. Levan Davitashvili," Giorgi Gakharia stated.
The government also discussed the next three-year plan for 2022-2024 during today's session, after the completion of which Georgia will have one of the highest rates of access to natural gas in Europe.
"Today, the three-year plan on the construction of natural gas supply infrastructure is being implemented in the country. The implementation of plan, which was approved by the government, will be completed in 2021. During the meetings that we held in the regions, we saw that there is a demand for the continuation of this program; therefore, today, we have to approve the next three-year plan on the construction of natural gas supply infrastructure, which will be implemented in 2022-2024. After the completion of this plan by 2024 the construction of natural gas supply infrastructure will be effectively completed in full, and Georgia will have one of the highest rates of the availability of natural gas to the population in Europe - this figure will stand at about 90 percent," the Prime Minister stated.
Press Service of the Government Administration