Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Public Agency Report Hearings Continue
The Government continued today discussing public agency performance reports for the first half-year of 2011.
To begin with, the head of government emphasized once again that the priority tasks will be referred to in order to reveal 2011 program risks, as well as to assess how well ministry staffs exercise control over the activities of individual units.
Reports were delivered by Minister of Territorial Administration, Vice Premier Armen Gevorgyan, the Minister of Finance, as well as the heads of State Water Management Committee and State Migration Service by the Ministry of Territorial Administration who reported on both the achievements and failures of their respective agencies.
In particular, the Vice Premier reported progress in implementation of priority tasks for 2011.
He gave details on increased budget receipts of communities, on the findings of local self-government entity-carried out spending checks, the improvement of local self-government’s legislative framework and increased productivity of public management at a local level, realization of actions based on the approved concept of territorial development and anticorruption actions, as well as the study of the phenomenon of chaotic migration from the Republic of Armenia and proposals concerning its prevention.
The meeting next looked at the pace of performance of priority programs by the State Water Management Committee, including: improvement of water supply in a number of urban and rural settlements of the Republic, ensuring better drinking water quality and undisrupted water supply, reduction of water losses, gradual increase in the duration of water supply (at least 1 hour as compared to last year, actions aimed at tackling nature protection problems at Lake Sevan, talks with donor organizations over new investment programs, as well as realization of water-main rehabilitation and construction activities to a total length of 500 km and channels in the spheres of potable water and irrigation, including restoration and improvement of water supply systems in Abovian, Noyemberian, Charentsavan, Agarak, Artik, Vanadzor, Maralik, continued reforming of water management entities and water systems, commissioning of the Marmarik reservoir.
Minister of Finance Vache Gabrielyan reported on the status of the following priority tasks of his ministry: continued reform aimed at introducing programmable budgeting in order to enhance public spending management efficiency, including submission of applications for budget financing in 2012 in the format of programmable budgeting in line with the new program structure and the new system of indices, pilot representation by three departments together with the application of the program of medium-term expenditures for 2012-2014, under one description (passport) of budget program according to methodical instructions, introduction of a uniform electronic system for registration and recording of public debt, providing a legislative (legal) framework for keeping record of the turnover of some types of bottled and packed goods, significant improvement of Armenia’s standing on the World Bank Group’s “Doing Business” chart.
In conclusion, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan referred to the ministries’ financial performance for the first half of 2011, as well as to the general estimate of staff performances.
