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Budget Funds in Kakheti Region Inadequate for Social Programs

December 26, 2008

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

In 2008 municipality boards of Kakheti region abolished libraries, culture houses and several dozens kindergartens in the villages because of a lack of funds in local budget. For the same reason expenses for social programs have been decreased or completely abolished. Several hundreds employees of the organizations that are funded from local government have not received their salaries yet. Meanwhile the salaries of district governors increased from 1,500 to 2,400 GEL; and chairpersons of municipality boards have their salaries increased from 1 000 to 1 500 GEL; as well as other expenses of the regional governor’s administration.

In summary, 29 out of 31 libraries in Gurjaani district were closed based on municipality board decision.  Only two out of 20 culture houses are functioning in the district. The villages of Kakhifari, Vazisubani, Vejini, Chulaki and others in Gurjaani district remained without nursery gartens. Programs for social welfare and healthcare, for the assistance of children and homeless people have been decreased. State program for financial reimbursement of medical treatment of impoverished people has been completely abolished.

Although the employees of Nato Vachnadze, Ivane Beritashvili, Iseob Noneshvili and other museums have petitioned municipality boards with and requested that their salaries be increased. However, the municipality board increased the expenses of the maintenance of regional administrative office and the cost of organizing arranging sport events came at the expense of the released funds. Monthly salary of the employees of the museum remained at 40 GEL and it has not been changed as yet. Davit Macharashvili, the head of the culture department of Gurjaani district administration, states that salaries of the personnel at museums might not be increased in 2009 as well.

Like 2007, teachers of Bakurtsikhe Agricultural-Industrial Collages still remain without salaries in 2008 too. 35 teachers of the collage continue to demand arrears of August, September, October, November and December 2006 salaries but their efforts have been without any results. They petitioned the municipality board several times and requested to change the decision of May 24, 2006 but all efforts have been in vain. The municipality board reduced the funding of Bakurtsikhe collage based on that resolution and allocated only 33, 600 GEL instead of the previous 49, 100 GEL. Teachers were defined that the reduction of funds was because of a lack of budget resources. In fact, as we found out the municipality board used reduced sums for increasing the funds for the administrative offices. Finally, that sum was spent on parties arranged by Akaki Sikharulidze, the head of one of the departments at Agriculture Ministry and who is the former Gurjaani district governor.

It must be pointed out that according to lawyers, the article 37 Paragraph IV of the Georgian Law on Public Agencies, the funds for social programs shall not be reduced concurrent to increasing the salaries and expenses of already well-provided for public officials.

Funding of the fields that are more advantageous for the population has not been problem only for Gurjaani district. Nursery schools in the district started new school term two months later. Reportedly, 240 employees of district kindergartens did not receive salaries in October based on the decision of the board of the union of district nursery schools. They have not received salaries for September of 2008 as yet.

Union of Sighnaghi district Nursery Schools defines that employees were sent on unpaid holiday based on the decision of Sighnaghi district former governor because of lack of budget funds. Nino Tukhashvili, the head of the union, does not deny that nursery schools did not work n September of 2008 though they should have to and the personnel should have taken their salaries. Based on official information Sighnaghi municipality board spent over 1, 5 million GEL from district budget in 2008.

Despite the alledged“small budget” the representatives of the governmental authority somehow managed to employee more activists from the ruling party. For example, nearly 100 people are employed at communal and sanitary supervision departments and Gurjaani culture center; every month they receive salaries according to financial division of the district administration. In fact only nearly 40 people in total work in the three departments.

A similar situation is in Lagodekhi district. The museum of local folklore and culture has been funded for eight years already but the museum still does not function at all. “No exhibitions are arranged because all exhibits are kept in a valt. The museum does not have its own building. Currently it shelters in such building that is in poorest conditions and it is impossible to work there. Despite that, the personnel of the museum is increasing permanently,” said Giorgi Bokeria, director of the NGO “Association for Civil Development.”

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