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According to the 2024 draft, the budget of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is 755 billion 290 million drams, which is 101 billion drams more than the budget approved last year. We carry out the largest share of expenses in the field of this Ministry. The RA Minister of Finance Vahe Hovhannisyan said this at the joint sitting of the NA Standing Committees on Labor and Social Affairs and on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs held on November 6, presenting the draft law on the State Budget for 2024.

The Minister informed that the Ministry will implement 19 programmes and 83 measures.

“The social programmes to be implemented in connection with our compatriots who were forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh have not yet been presented in the budget. We have submitted an application for 10 billion drams to spend in that direction. In the future, when the programmes are fully elaborated, there will be increases in pensions and allowances. The increase of 101 billion drams will not reflect the real picture that we will have next year,” the Minister of Finance said.

The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan stated that the increase in the budget is mainly conditioned by the increase in financial resources aimed at improving the demographic situation, pension, social security and reforms planned in other sectors.

“We will continue to implement the support and encouragement programmes for families with children, the realization of the rights of persons with disabilities, excluding as much as possible the manifestation of discrimination against them, the encouragement of education and work among safe groups of the population, the implementation of programmes that promote business, implementation of the programmes aimed at increasing the competitiveness of young people, persons with disabilities, and women in the labor market, consistent prevention of children’s entry into orphanages, ensuring their return to families and other programmes,” the Minister noted. He referred to the numerical indicators.

The Minister presented the Ministry's strategy for 2024, mentioned how much budget bid was submitted for each programme.

“Which service deals with the collection of information of our compatriots forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh? Is there a complete database? Is it interconnected with the relevant divisions of other institutions? What is its structure and is it possible to get to know that database?” the deputy of the NA Armenia Faction Aghvan Vardanyan inquired.

In response to the parliamentarian's question, the Minister informed that it is possible to get the answers to all the questions in the house of culture of Parakar community of Armavir region.

Zaruhi Batoyan’s question related to the Ministry’s policy and the implemented social programmes. In particular, the deputy inquired about providing shelter services for the victims of violence. “The number of beneficiaries of the shelter service for victims of violence is increasing, but the funding of the Ministry remains the same. Isn't it designed to increase the budget bid?” the deputy asked to the Minister.

“The expansion of any new programme should be in line with the financial and economic capabilities of the country, taking into consideration all the challenges we all faced in the context of providing services and various support programmes to our compatriots forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh,” the Minister said.

The Chair of the Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs Gevorg Papoyan touched upon the promotion of work in our country.

“We pay 400.000 drams annually for each socially disadvantaged person, and 900.000 drams for a minimum wage earner. It turns out that we allocate only 35.000 drams more per month to the minimum wage earner than to the unemployed. Does our social policy promote work or not?” the Committee Chair asked and reaffirmed that social support should be aimed at motivating people to work.

In response to the question, Narek Mkrtchyan said that the Prime Minister also stressed that we should be able to encourage work and give people the opportunity to create value. He mentioned that there are people in the allowance system who are of working age, able to work, do not have disabilities or any hindering circumstances, but continue to receive support from the state. “They are harming the state,” the Minister said.

The MPs, among other issues, asked the Minister about employment programmes, social services and the programme of housing in border settlements.