Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan visited the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development to get first-hand view of the ongoing territorial administration reform, the strategic plans for regional development, the process of community consolidation, the implementation of investment projects, etc. 2017-2025 regional development strategies were said nearing completion. They will be submitted to the Cabinet for approval upon completion.
The strategies feature the following key objectives: increased competitiveness of Marzes and reduction of regional disparities. Accordingly, it is expected that the per capita GDP in each Marz will exceed 60% of the national average rate by the end of 2025.
50 thousand highly qualified jobs will be created the specified period of time in addition to agriculture-specific jobs. 3 thousand new jobs are due to be provided in 2017 alone,. The strategy also provides for the development of regional infrastructure, promotion of tourism, improvement in business conditions and other projects.
10 functional programs shall be introduced for all regions in 2018-2020, which will feature specific targets. A monitoring evaluation system was introduced to ensure program monitoring in accordance with the established timetables. Operational plans will be implemented in cooperation with various government agencies and the results shall be regularly reported to the Prime Minister. 160 investment projects have been developed over the past few months covering all Marzes.
As instructed by the Prime Minister, working groups were established with the involvement of commercial banks specialists who regularly visit the regions and hold competitive investment planning workshops with the business sector.
Highlighting the importance of such workshops, Karen Karapetyan stated in part, “We should be consistent to ensure that this process is effective. We will continue along this path; we will be holding tiresome and lengthy discussion, but such meetings will be held on a regular basis. The workshops’ attendance needs to be increased in order to bring together energetic and motivated individuals. Here we should not get tired, and this applies to everyone.”
The Prime Minister stressed that society should be given regular updates on communities like Yenokavan, which was cited a success story. The community boasts LED powered street lighting and modern waste management amenities. The roads are being repaired effectively and employment is provided to the local population owing to quality management and a clear approach to the formation of the local budget.
An international training program for 200 community leaders was said to kick off this June. Stressing the importance of the program, Karen Karapetyan expressed willingness to hold one of the courses. The Prime Minister was next briefed on the activities of the newly established analytical group, concerning, in particular, the cost analysis of garbage collection in dozens of schools and kindergartens. The analysis has found out numerous shortfalls in this area. It was noted that communities may achieve savings worth several hundred million drams. The analytical group presented specific recommendations based on the findings.
Appreciating the work done by the analytical group, Karen Karapetyan stressed the importance of digitization in communities. “Considering a complex of indicators, we should mark with red lights those communities with budget imbalances. We will have a vast amount of information in the wake of digitization, which will allow us to compare similar communities to identify problems and solve them. Once this is done, we will be happy about our regional development strategy, because we will know our weaknesses and where we should go,” the Premier said.
The meeting next reviewed the optimization efforts underway in the healthcare facilities of Shirak, Aragatsotn and Kotayk Marzes of Armenia, which are expected to save about 250 million drams.
In this context, the Prime Minister said, “Optimization is not an end in itself: we say that the steps we take are not cost effective amid scarce resources. The amounts saved can be re-allocated in the same sector in order to increase the quality of services so that a child does not have to do a second shift at school, teachers receive normal wages and there is not a shortage of teachers in border communities since wages will be based on another payroll system.” The Prime Minister was assured that all these questions will be kept in focus during the optimization process.
Reference was also made to community consolidation, outsourcing of municipal services to private managers, amendments to the Law on Community Services, the initial version of the concept of territorial administration, the steps to take under the Clean Armenia program and others.
In conclusion, Karapetyan said, “We are on the right track; we have a lot to do. You have to realize one thing: today, in the face of your team, we see people who need to make systemic changes in regional government. If we want to have a well-balanced and developed country, citizens whose everyday needs are satisfied, we must implement changes. The Marz governor should act as the prime minister of his province; he should realize where the Marz is heading for and which is their cherished dream.”
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of a clear separation of functions within the three-tier system of governance.