Irakli Kobakhidze addressed the crowd at the regional event for the election campaign in Batumi. He spoke about the results of the 12 years of “Georgian Dream’s” rule.
Irakli Kobakhidze talked about the various fields and the improved data in 2012, and noted that “Georgian Dream”, despite the “hardest legacies”, was able quickly to turn in the direction of the development of the country.
“In 2012, Georgia’s economy was only 28 billion GEL. The budget for the country was only 8.5 billion GEL. The unemployment rate was 28 percent and the average salary was 712,5 GEL. 1,120,000 of us lived below the poverty level. There was no universal healthcare program. The infrastructure was disrupted. The “Georgian Dream’ government was able, despite the difficult legacy left behind, to quickly turn the country in the right direction: we increased the economy of the country from 28 billion GEL up to 90 billion GEL and, by 2028, our program says, it will reach 130 billion GEL. We increased the budget of the country from 8.5 billion GEL up to 28 billion GEL which will surpass 40 billion GEL by 2028. We reduced unemployment in half. In the last 2.5 years alone, 170,000 new jobs have been created in the nation. By 2028, another 200,000 jobs will be added. The average salary in the country has already surpassed 2,000 GEL, and will reach 3,500 GEL by 2028. Since 2012, more than 680,000 of our citizens have overcome poverty. Poverty will fall below 4%. In the last 2.5 years, we have received foreign investments worth 5 billion dollars. We will receive additional foreign investments worth 9 billion dollars in the next four years. You may remember that the previous government was proud of its infrastructure construction. I want to remind you that only 68 km of highways had been built before 2012. After 2012, 300 km of highways will be built. The Tbilisi – Batumi highway construction will be completed by next year. Travel time from Batumi and Tbilisi is expected to be reduced to three hours. The construction of the KhuloZarzma Road will also be completed next. With the help of the state, 800 new enterprises have been expanded and 700 new ones created. In the framework of business assistance programs, we will continue to provide business support over the next four years. We will create hundreds new enterprises and 70,000 job opportunities. With the help of the state, the production of agriculture products has doubled since 2012. In the next four years, the state budget will allocate a total amount of 3 billion dollars for the development of Georgian agriculture and strengthening the countryside. Tourism is growing rapidly, which is important for Adjara. According to our plan by 2028 the number of tourists will surpass 11 million and the revenues from tourism will surpass 6.4 billion dollars. In 2030, Georgia’s electricity production will be three times higher than in 2012 and it will become a completely independent country from the perspective of electricity. State investments in water supplies increased 15-fold. In the next year, all cities in the country will be able to access 24-hour water. We introduced a free-of-charge textbook program and made kindergartens free. We have completed the construction and renovation of 836 kindergartens across the country and begun the program for construction and rehabiliation of 885 kindergartens. We have built and renovated more than 1,000 schools. In the next four years, we will complete the construction and renovation of more 500 schools. Sports funding has been increased by 4 times, and the results are evident. We want to remind you that this city has a rich football tradition, but no stadium. The previous government destroyed the stadium, and the “Georgian Dream’ government did not build one. Our government has implemented a universal healthcare program, as well as other targeted programs. The social budget of the country and funding for healthcare have increased four-fold. The result is that financial access to healthcare has improved five times, the life expectancy average has increased from 72 years to 75, and the number people reaching retirement age increased by 155,000. The social protection package for the population has been expanded five times. Pensions were increased three times. Pensioners under 70 years old will receive 350 GEL per month, and pensioners older than 70 years old will receive 450 GEL. Pensions for those living in highland settlements are also increasing to 420 GEL and 540 GEL. After the completion of current housing projects, an additional 6,000 IDPs families will be housed. Irakli Kobakhidze stated that this is not a complete list of our achievements or 4-year plans.
Read More @ www.interpressnews.ge