October 21: 17% of Georgian population receives social assistance
The number of social beneficiaries in October increased by 5,430 people compared to September. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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The number of people receiving social assistance in Georgia has reached 633,000 in October 2021, Social Service Agency reports.
As of today, 17% of the Georgian population receive social assistance, while the total amount of benefits given to the socially vulnerable exceeded 43 million GEL (about $13.61 m. / €11.79 m.) in October.
The number of social beneficiaries in October increased by 5,430 people compared to September.
Most beneficiaries, about 129,000 people, reside in the capital city of Tbilisi; 82,000 live in the region of Imereti; while 75,000 people come from the Kvemo Kartli region.
Based on the decree issued by the Georgian government on May 23, 2020, the living conditions of the socially vulnerable are no longer checked regularly, unless the benefit recipients request an inspection.
Therefore, social assistance recipients whose living conditions have improved may still be receiving compensation from the government.
In Georgia 541,764 people, or 14.5% of the Georgian population receive social assistance from the state and this number has increased by 83,296 individuals in the last one year, announces the Social Service Agency of Georgia.
Acting Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has announced that socially vulnerable pensioners will receive 500 GEL vouchers to purchase various prescribed medications. At the municipal government session held earlier today, Kaladze said the new program will cost 20 million GEL and have 40,000 beneficiaries.
At the initiative of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, assistance to socially vulnerable children will be doubled starting July 1. Instead of existing 50 GEL, assistance for socially vulnerable children will be 100 GEL in Georgia.
The Consumer Price Index in October 2021 increased by 1.3% compared to the previous month, while the annual inflation rate in Georgia stood at 12.8%, the latest inflation data of the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) show.
The head of the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) Koba Gvenetadze says annual inflation will be higher than earlier expected.
Girchi - More Freedom opposition party members have been selling coffee outside the National Bank of Georgia in USD and cryptocurrency earlier today to protest against the current financial regulations that only recognize Georgian lari (GEL) as legal tender. The party members blame the National Bank for inflation, and say that the organisation is obliged to stabilise the prices in the country.
The Georgian government will present a programme in the upcoming weeks which will provide socially vulnerable citizens who are fit for work with jobs instead of social assistance, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said today.
A total of 117,897 people received governmental social support package in Georgia in 2021, figures from the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) show. In the latest release of data from the agency, statistics for state financial aid to underprivileged citizens show 34.7 percent of recipients being women, with 65.3 percent men.
A total of 14,744, 673 million GEL ($4,557,991mln/€4,148,970mln) was issued by municipalities across Georgia last year in the form of “individual state aid,” with the figure marking a 22 percent increase compared to 2020, the Georgian National Competition Agency announced on Thursday.
A total of 17.5 percent of the Georgian population was under the absolute poverty line in 2021, a 3.8 percentage point decrease compared to the previous year, the latest data of 2021 poverty indicators published by the National Statistics Office of Georgia show.