ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Saturday


Karen Karapetyan in Gegharkunik: the process of planning community
budgets for 2018 will be held under strict supervision

Yerevan August 26

Naira Badalyan. During the first 7 months of 2017, the own incomes of
the Gegharkunik region of Armenia were fulfilled by 88%, the
performance of the regional budget increased by 12.8% compared to the
same period 2016. Karen Botoyan, the head of the regional
administration, reported this to Karen Karapetyan, the Prime Minister
of Armenia. In the city of Gavar, Gegharkunik region of the republic,
on August 25, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the head of
the government to discuss the progress of development programs of the
region and communities, work carried out and forthcoming plans.

As the RA government press service reports, presenting the social and
economic situation in the region and macroeconomic indicators,
Governor Karen Botoyan noted that the share of Gegharkunik in
Armenia's GDP is 5%, and the GDP per capita in the region is 1 million
64 thousand 900 AMD. The volume of industrial production in 2016
amounted to 31 billion 728 million 800 thousand, per capita - 136
thousand 900 drams.

Mining is the main direction of the region's economy, and agriculture
is a priority area, Botoyan said. The volume of gross agricultural
products for the previous year was 153 billion, per capita - about 660
thousand 100 drams.

According to the head of the regional administration, 9 investment
programs were submitted to the Government from Gegharkunik for a total
of 2 billion 56 600 600 drams. Approval was given to 6 of them. The
development of tourism is also the focus of the region, Karen Botoyan
stressed. The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development
and the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments, as well as
the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, presented 33 investment programs that
are under discussion. As Botoyan assured, the issue of creating jobs
is at the center of attention of the administration.

With the exception of the Artsvashen community, all the others (91)
have approved development programs. All communities also have
developed digital, which provides information on the socio-economic
situation in a particular community and its investment potential.

Concerning the collection of own incomes, Prime Minister Karen
Karapetyan stressed that in this respect the lowest level in the
region is due to weak discipline. According to him, the envisaged
increase in the region's own revenues is 9%, and in the other 15-20%.
As the head of government noted, the process of planning community
budgets for 2018 will be held under strict control. "All heads of
communities should know that there can not be such that according to
the republican budget the fees were 100% and the deductions to the
communities were according to the plan, and the communities themselves
planned at their discretion," the prime minister said. "We want to
create equal partnership relations, we respect the rights of the heads
of communities, but this does not mean that they should work in the
same regime in our community, and we in the other. We generate budget
revenues as a result of working with the same citizens that the heads
of communities," he said.

The head of the Armenian Cabinet of Ministers was informed about the
progress of work in the spheres of agriculture, health, education,
recycling of garbage.