Wednesday, 20 January 2016
IT Sector and Export Promotion Programs Approved
The Government held a regular meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan.
The meeting approved the 2016 program and action plan on State support for Armenia’s export-oriented industrial policy strategy.
The program is expected to promote the export of manufactured goods using instruments of State support through diversified exports and markets, better marketing of Armenian products on foreign markets, enhanced investment and economic activity in the provinces and extensive measures aimed at technical and technological refurbishment in the economy.
Hovik Abrahamyan said to have issued relevant instructions in that regard and urged the Minister of Economy to be consistent in pursuit of his assignments.
The Government next approved the program of promotion of IT services in 2016, along with its action plan and timetable. The program seeks to support the formation information and knowledge-based society and an advanced world-renowned IT sector in Armenia.
The program is expected to enable analyses of IT industry development trends and challenges, presentation of achievements, design of development mechanisms for the home IT industry, efficient management of the administrative statistical register, capacity building in the IT sector, including, in particular, the launch of the Armenian-Indian ICT training center’s regular operations, organization of training courses, workshops and other events, as well as implementation of joint capacity building programs with Microsoft, IBM and other transnational companies.
The Cabinet decided that the lump-sum child allowance shall be made available exclusively in non-cash payment. The decision establishes that the amount of family capital can be managed within a year after the birth of a child, through periodic payments made to any bank account, but no more than 25,000 drams a month. December 31, 2016 is set as the deadline for the aforementioned transactions. Thereby, some 13500 households nationwide will be able to manage the family capital at a monthly rate of AMD 25 000 in 2016.
Stressing the importance of the decision, the Prime Minister said that it will help curb corruption in this area as many citizens are using different ways to get the money in cash. “That is why we have simplified the procedures so that citizens may draw on the family capital at the rate of 25 thousand drams per month instead of losing a portion of that money during cash withdrawals as evidenced by our surveys,” Hovik Abrahamyan noted.
The Government adopted a resolution on the management and use of funds under the USAID-supported Improved Transparency in the Mining Sector project, which aims to support the Government in promoting transparency and accountability in the mining sector. The project will help digitize the stock of archival materials available in the National Geological Fund SNCO, as well as implement preparatory steps on the way to Armenia’s joining the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI / ACHTN).
The project will help enhance efficiency in the mining sector and promote State-society cooperation in the process of public policy development.
The mining database digitization, easy access to information and Armenia’s efforts aimed at ACHTN accession will result in a more open and responsive policy development and implementation.
