Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

“Delayed” Promised Vouchers or “Runaround”

March 13, 2008

Gulo Kokhodze, Akhaltsikhe

Fighting poverty is claimed to be a main reduction of the Georgian government. Much has been said, especially in promises made in the run-up to presidential elections and now in the countdown to parliamentary elections. It is debatable, however, if the rhetoric is close to the reality.

Families, who have gained 100 thousand points within the Poverty Reduction State Program for Socially Excluded Families, will now receive a voucher of one thousand GEL following the birth of each and every child. However, these families cannot receive the money that has been allocated for the latest voucher as yet.

If families have gained 57 thousand points within the Poverty Reduction Program, they should receive a monetary allowance, for seventy thousand points they are qualified to receive a medical insurance police and those that pass the benchmark of one hundred thousand they will be granted with the voucher designated for an “honorable start”. The most recent initiative was added to the program late in 2007.

Currently, there are only 16 families in Akhaltsikhe district who have received the above-mentioned vouchers in spite of having children and facing other dire difficulties in their lives.

“If people with 100 thousand points have a child born into the family then they will receive the voucher of one thousand GEL. It is officially only necessary to provide copies of the birth certificate of the child and a marriage certificate to our office. Then they will receive the money from “People’s Bank”, said Tsiuri Maisuradze, the head of the Akhaltsikhe Department of the Agency for Social Subsidies.

Tamaz Gzirishvili received a voucher on March 1 and visited all banks located in Akhaltsikhe to trying to get money. His expectations were all in vain. “I was told at the People’s Bank that the money had not yet been transferred to their account and I had to find out the situation at the Agency for Social Subsidies. There they told me I had to take money at the “Procredit Bank.” There is no office of the Procredit Bank close to our district the closest is in Khashuri. It will be necessary for me to travel there in order to get paid for the voucher.  .”

For poor people it is difficult to travel to Khashuri from Akhaltsikhe. It is like a run-around for vulnerable people. As Neli Kapanadze says, “they are sending me from one office to another.  I run from place to place. I am now totally confused. It is hard to understand what this help is: a present or some form of punishment? I have to spend so much money for traveling; afterwards, our government will start bragging about how it has provided us all this assistance.”

Having failed to get money from Akhaltsikhe-based banks Tsiuri Khitarishvili then tried his luck at “Basisbank” in Tbilisi. “They told me I could come and get the money in three weeks. I have been carrying this voucher around for a month already; I am carrying it everywhere, and to no result.”

Davit Mosiashvili, the manager of the “People’s Bank” avoids making official comment on the situation. However, he said that it does not depend on the bank to issue the money.

Aza Kurdadze, the head of the Samtskhe–Javakheti Regional Coordination Center of the Agency for Social Subsidies, said they will start providing the money in nearest future. “It should have been allocated already but it seems there was some delay making money transfers.”

Families qualified under the “Program for Honorable Start’ expect the program to continue into the future. However, in spite of all promises, one thing is sure: in the meantime as they have to learn the hard way what the program is all about. In the meantime they will have to fend for themselves in looking after their children; holding their breath until the Georgian government sorts out the mechanics of the promised assistance.

News