Mountain Law to benefit Georgia’s highest alpine resort of Bakhmaro
National Council of Mountain Development rules Bakhmaro to acquire status of high mountainous region. Photo: Guram Guntadze/Facebook.
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People living in the village of Bakhmaro in Guria region of Georgia will soon get benefits guaranteed by the Mountain Law, announces the government of Georgia.
The decision was made by the National Council of Mountain Development at its 10th meeting held today.
The National Council of Mountain Development also summarised the benefits received by the local population in 2018 within the law and said that last year around 69 million GEL was spent on the programme.
- Read Agenda.ge’s article ‘How will the Georgian highlands be developed in 2019-2023?’ and find out more about the government’s plans for the development of mountainous regions of Georgia.
The beneficiaries were:
- Pensioners permanently dwelling in high terrain regions;
- Socially vulnerable groups of the population of highlands;
- Healthcare professionals living and working in high terrain regions;
- Families that had their first and second children since the enforcement of the Law as a monthly allowance;
- Teachers of public schools operating in high terrain regions;
- Vocational trainers at education centers established by the state in highlands and sports coaches.
See the video 'Lost in a Skiers Dream' by WhiteHearts – a Germany-based community of winter sport enthusiasts. In 2017 the group of freeride skiers visited Bakhmaro and spent a month there. This video features drone- and on-the-ground footage of local village huts, snow-covered woods and skiers navigating the pristine slopes of the local mountains.
In addition, almost 11,923 households permanently living in high terrain regions received timber for heating and cooking, while over 84,000 subscribers with a status of permanent residents of high terrain regions were reimbursed 50% of their utility bills for the monthly consumption of energy.
The residents of 14 more villages can now enjoy special benefits guaranteed by the Mountain Law, announced the government of Georgia. Upgrading the living standards of the populations of mountainous areas is one of the top objectives of the government, said Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
The Georgian government will continue to support Georgia’s high mountain regions to improve infrastructure and conditions for those living there in a bid to reduce migration from rural areas to the city.
The government of Georgia is redoubling efforts to avoid the reduction of population in mountainous areas of the country, initiating an increase of the list of high mountainous settlements and accordingly the number of beneficiaries of the Mountain Law.
Georgia has updated its list of alpine villages, meaning the locals of additional 37 villages can enjoy special benefits guaranteed by the Mountain Law.
Georgian businesses located in highland areas now will have the right to sell their goods not only in highland areas, but also in the whole territory of Georgia and will also be able to export their goods outside the county without losing their “highland business” status and thus without canceling their preferential tax status, announced the Ministry of Finance.
Georgian pensioners older than 70 years old and who reside in the country’s highland areas will be paid a pension of 263 GEL ($90.41/€81.65) from January 1, 2020 and of 300 GEL ($103.13/€93.14) from July 1, 2020, announced Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia at a presentation held on the occasion of International Mountain Day earlier today.
The police have uncovered a large number of cryptocurrency machines illegally consuming large amounts of electricity in the auxiliary space of the hotel Banguriani in central Mestia, Svaneti region, says energy company Energo-Pro Georgia.