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Most Impoverished People in Zugdidi Can Not Receive Allowances

November 3, 2006

poor.gif3 000 impoverished families out of total 13 500 received allowances within the State Poverty Reduction Program. Sixty-nine year-old lonely woman, Bedisha Kikaleishvili is among them who were left without aid.

Thirteen thousand five hundred families applied to Zugdidi Regional office for Social Aid and Employment within the State Poverty Reduction Program [54 thousand applies were received in the whole region].  Agents form the Office for Social Aid and Employment visited families to estimate their personal points.

On November 1, people came to the centre complaining for having not received allowances. Among them are: Bedisha Kikaleishvili, a lonely disabled woman of the second group (groups are given according to their disability level), born in 1939, living in Melikishvili str. # 5 in Zugdidi, Klaudia Kravchenko, a lonely woman, born in 1942, living in Chachibaia str.#12, Zugdidi, Aleksandra Gogokhia, disabled woman born in 1928, living in Papanini str. # 56, she has one mentally disabled child, and her house is burnt down, Valiko Jikia, Abkhazian IDP, his temporary address  is Dekabrists str. #5. He has mentally disabled son and his wife is also disabled person of the first group.

B. Kikaleishvili stated the following: "A social agent visited me, checked my living conditions and promised that I would certainly be aided. My house is ruined, only rats live with me, and I have dinner in Free Soup-kitchen. I receive pension of thirty three lari. Now they tell me they would check my conditions again and then I will be able to get allowances."

-Did the agent fill in the form correctly?

-I don't know, they have granted 57 thousand points to me, while people with 52 thousand points are aided only. My house has neither floor nor ceiling. I do not have a cow and a hen. Last year I used electricity on twenty six lari. I have no gas, so I gather some wood to boil tea on it. I visited a doctor once but now I can not go there having no money. I am a disabled person of the second group, my leg is benumbed - who do they aid if not me?"

We inquired about Bedisha Kikaleishvili's declaration which stated every problem the woman has. The document read that 'the only income of Kikaleishvili is a pension of 33 lari. Her house is falling down; it has no floor, she has neither cow nor hen. There are a lot of mice in the house. B. Kikaleishvili has dinner in free soup-kitchens…"

We asked Nato Kiria, Head of the Zugdidi Office for Social Aid and Employment to comment about Bedisha Kikaleishvili and many other people.

- How many people were registered at your office and how many of them have received allowances?

N. Kiria: "We checked living conditions of 13 500 families in our district. We drew up declarations. Nearly 3 000 people have been granted allowances on the first stage.
 
- Did you have cases when a person was to be aided but he could not receive it?

- Unfortunately we have a lot of similar facts. Today we have received nearly thirty applications of such people.

They stated at the Zigdidi office for Social Aid and Employment that “they would find out why those people were not aided. Their declarations would be checked and if there is any kind irrelevance between the document and real social conditions, we will draw up a new document, a new point will be estimated for the family and they will be aided."

As for Kikaleishvili's case, Nato Kiria stated that 'Unfortunately there are a lot of similar cases. We receive many applications and now we set up control groups with three members in each. Imagine, there are 31 villages and a city of Zugdidi. Thus we can not accomplish it soon. We can not aid those people until new points are estimated."

The reason why Kikaleishvili and others could not receive allowances is unknown to N. Kirira. She justifies herself saying "Tbilisi makes decisions". 

We asked Zurab Egutia, Head of Samegrelo Regional Office for Social Aid and Employment to explain us why such impoverished people had been granted with high points.

Zurab Egutia explained: "We have granted allowances to eleven thousand families in the region. Samegrelo has the highest index in Georgia. Fifty two thousand families were to be aided in the whole country, and 11 thousand of them are from Samegrelo Region."

- Why didn't those people with low points receive aid?

- The fault rate might be of 3-5% and now we try to correct our mistake. Those people have to apply us again and then we will check their families once more, it will take another 2-3 months.

Nato Berulava, Zugdidi

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