POVERTY LEVEL ENVISAGED TO BE REDUCED BY 20.5% UNTIL 2021 IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the revised variant of
the Poverty Reduction Strategic Program, it is envisaged to reduce
poverty in Armenia by 20.5% until 2021, which will make 6% and abject
poverty is envisaged to be reduced by 3.1% and it will make 1.1%. Melik
Gasparian, a representative of the expert group responsible for the
program’s elaboration, said this on January 14. According to him, a
progressive growth of working incomes and pensions of poor population,
as well as increase of the employment level will be the main factors of
poverty reduction.
M. Gasparian said that it is envisaged during the coming three or four
years to move from the group of countries with an average human
development level to the group of countries with a high human
development level. Besides, the prospect of poverty reduction is
expansion of "proper employment," which supposes a minimum level of
payment for work, which will permit the worker to avoid poverty. In M.
Gasparian’s opinion, though some progress has been registered in this
respect, nevertheless, over 22% employed people were considered poor in
2006. According to the second Poverty Reduction Strategic Program, it
is envisaged to decrease that index up to 5% until 2015.
Hovhannes Azizian, the Head of the Secretariate of the Poverty
Reduction Strategic Program, also said that they will work out
territorial, regional programs for the purpose of achieving
proportionate poverty reduction in Armenia. According to him, the first
pilot program of the kind will be implemented in the Shirak region.