­Post-graduate students’ stipendium will be increased

01/11/2005 Karapet TOMIKYAN

The government is going to provide more money for the Social field (education, health care, social insurance and insurance): this distribution capacity is the highest one in the budget expenses line (36,1 %). The distribution mark of defense and security covers 23,4% of the budget expenses. The amount of the money they are going to provide for economical branches covers 17,3 %, and accordingly for foreign affairs activities – 5 %, debt management – 2,4, government treasury – 0,97%.

The government has increased the salaries of state employees (as well as for those in the NA) and has set the fundamental payment as 30.000 dram instead of 20.000 dram of last year. The salaries of civil servants and technical officers will be increased by 20 %. But the salaries of the RA foreign affairs ministry, diplomatic employees will be increased by 40%. The government has provided more money for business trips (1063,3 million dram, which is more by 76,5 m. dram than the mark of last year).

The expenses for electricity, heating and gasoline will be increased by 279,3 m. dram. Though the government has saved 806,7 m. dram as a result of the fact that the number of children has been cut down, the salaries of teachers are going to be increased, thus increasing the expenses intended for schools. Besides that the government is going to provide more than 713,5 m. dram for schools (the reason is that they are going to construct boiler rooms for schools and the price for oil has been increased). It is written in the budget of next year that those teachers who have lost their jobs as a result of reforms will get socially secured by the government, but there is no numerical explanation there.

The government has prepared a good surprise for post-graduate students: their stipendiums will be increased up to 10.000 dram (currently it is 6.500 dram). And the post-graduate students of Armenian Science will get 15.000 dram stipendium. The government is going to provide 16.879 million dram for pensioners ( 1402,5 million dram more than in 2005). Pensioners will get about 6.500 dram a month (it was 4867 in 2005). By the decision of the government each child will get 20.000 dram upon entering school and each newborn child will get 35.000 dram.