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The government proposes ending the social package program, which was introduced in 2012-13 to compensate for low pay in the public sector by allowing citizens to use allocated funds for certain services, including resort stays, recreation, sports and education, Minister of Labor and Welfare Arsen Torosyan has said.
“The social package program was adopted in 2012-13 as compensation for low pay in the public sector, under which our citizens could purchase certain services, including resort, recreation, sports, education and other services. But we know that, particularly in recent years, all citizens who had a social package have, as a result of various reforms, seen both increases in their salaries and greater opportunities to cover their healthcare expenses thanks to health insurance. And now the time has come simply to end the provision of this service, because it has fulfilled the task it was created to address,” Torosyan said at a press briefing when asked by Armenpress why no funds have been allocated for the social package under the draft 2027 state budget.
The Minister of Labor and Welfare said that citizens who have accumulated funds in their bank accounts under the social package will be able to use them for purposes to be defined by a special government decision.