The President of the Republic, Vahagn Khachaturyan, received the RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Narek Mkrtchyan.
During the meeting, the Minister presented details of the process and results of recent reforms implemented by the Ministry. Reference was made to the social assistance programs allocated to forcibly displaced people from Nagorno-Karabakh and the measures implemented by the Ministry in this direction.
Minister Narek Mkrtchyan informed that a new system was introduced in the field of issues affecting persons with disabilities on February 1, 2023, which created an opportunity to carry out a multifaceted assessment of a person's needs, consider disability in the context of social factors, and determine the type of social services adequate to each person's individual needs.
The system's implementation provided the necessary digital solutions in a short time, which can serve as the best example for several other countries in terms of functional evaluation.
In 2023, 11,930 people were evaluated for their functionality.
Referring to the reforms implemented in social support and the upcoming programs, the Minister informed the President of the Republic that the Ministry plans to introduce a new system of assessing insecurity, thanks to which the social support programs will be more targeted. The new system is intended to be introduced in stages, starting in 2024. it will provide an opportunity to help impoverished families overcome extreme poverty; on the way, the state will make necessary efforts to develop the skills and abilities of families registered in the system of insecurity, enabling families to get work and stable employment and improve living conditions.
Narek Mkrtchyan noted that according to the results expected from the implementation of the system, the goal is:
• To reduce the number of beneficiary families by 20% by 2026
• Increase targeting by 25% (75-80% of benefits will go to the poorest 20% of the population)
• Eradicate extreme poverty
• Reduce the level of poverty.
• Create an opportunity to make an automated decision with a digital toolkit.
The President of the Republic thanked the Minister for his consistent work and emphasized his readiness to support the implementation of reforms and planned programs within the limits of his authority.
