The Meeting of the Government of Georgia was held in on 30 March 2010. The agenda consisted of 42 items.
Before the beginning of the Meeting, Prime Minister of Georgia Nika Gilauri focused attention on a few issues.
"I'd like to draw the attention of the public and the Government members to two issues. Both of the issues that will be discussed at today's Government Meeting are critically important.
These are social security issues, one related to the vulnerable program and the other - to orphanages.
We are going to discuss and approve both issues at the Government Meeting. There are significant changes in the vulnerable program. I'd like to stress that the changes have already been introduced. Now we are legalizing these changes. As you know, Social Security Agency agents make daily visits to take inventory of the vulnerable. A large number of factors were considered in the process of inventory but some problems still cropped up.
If the agent had considered the items that a family received as a gift, then the family jumped out of the list of the vulnerable, thus creating certain problems.
Besides, (agents) must have considered the condition of curtains... It was extremely hard to grant credits. Often this provoked objective discontent of families and failed to reflect an objective situation.
9 months ago we made a decision to change the practice. In other words, for the last 9 months, agents ... have no longer considered this or that question in granting credits.
As it turned out, the base will undergo no serious change due to changes in these conditions. The 9-month period has already ended. We have seen what the objective factors really are that determine the vulnerability of a family. The formula will no longer consider the objects, household items that were transferred as a gift to families by legal entities. The formula will no longer take into account the condition of curtains or TV. It will only consider luxury items such as a car, plasma TV, etc."
Finally, we'll shape and come up the formula that can objectively reflect the real condition of the vulnerable.
The other issue that I'd like to draw your attention to is the issue of orphan children. In orphanages, there is a certain category that cannot receive allowance, as they do not have anyone to care for them and act as a legal recipient of such allowance.
We decided to open accounts to such children and on them accumulate the allowance to which such children are entitled by law. When a child in an orphanage turns 18, he will be able to leave the home with certain amount of money in his hand. The money will have accumulated on the account for over a certain number of years. So far nearly 400 children have failed to receive any allowance due to the fact that their legal status was not defined.
As a result, we'll resolve the problem. From now on, children like those who used to remain on orphanages due to lack of funds will have a certain amount of starting capital accumulated on their bank accounts."
Press Service of the Prime Minister