Moldovan government prepares package of 1.6 billion lei for backing residents on cold period

Chisinau, 10 November /MOLDPRES/ - Moldova’s government has prepared a package of compensation worth 1.6 billion lei, in the context of the increase in the natural gas tariffs. The assistance programme will include three elements which will cover more social categories, according to Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, who held a news conference after a today’s cabinet meeting.   

According to the PM, the assistance for the cold period of the year will be extended from 500 lei to 700 lei, which will cost the state budget 523 million lei additionally. At the same time, by 88,000 more families will be able to benefit from this assistance against the year before. ‘’The compensation of the natural gas tariff’s increase will additionally cost the state budget 770 million lei and the compensation of increase in the tariff for thermal agent will cost 340 million lei. It is about spending added to the sums already provided by the government to back the people on the crisis period,’’ Natalia Gavrilita said.   

The prime minister said that the citizens’ compensation for the consumption of natural gas would be made in two stages. Thus, for the first 50 cubic metres of gas consumed, 4.3 lei of the tariff will be compensated and the final payment for consumers will be 6.8 lei. At the same time, 3.2 lei of the tariff will be compensated from 50 to 150 cubic metres of gas consumed; in this case, the final tariff for consumers will be 7.9 lei per one cubic metre.  

Attending the news conference, Labour and Social Protection Minister Marcel Spatari noted that the regulation on the way of establishing the payment of the social benefit, in the context of the increase in the tariffs for utilities (thermal energy, gas, wood, coal), approved by the cabinet today, sees the increase in the threshold of eligibility at the calculation of the score of the well-being indicators (proxy) by 2.82 points (presently, 91.28 points, after the increase, it will be 94.10 points).   

„The entire mankind goes through a difficult period. And Moldova experiences an economic crisis; we also go through these processes; yet, we are not alone before the challenges. Our task is to be by the side of people and use, at the maximum, the resources we have and support them in difficult situations. We are not alone before the crisis, the friends help us. The European Union will provide us with 60 million euros; we have also received other sums on behalf of the development partners,’’ Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita added.  

Photo: Government