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On June 8, at the joint sitting of the RA NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport and the RA NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs moderated by Mkhitar Hayrapetyan and Yeghishe Soghomonyan the debate of the annual report on the RA State Budget Execution for 2020 continued.

The RA Acting Minister of Finance Atom Janjughazyan presented the allocations of the spheres of science, education, culture, sport, Diaspora, youth and information and informed that the means designed for 2020 were used with almost 95% or about 177bln AMD. Touching upon the events implemented by the state bodies, Atom Janjughazyan noted that the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport carried out 191 events for approaching the final results of 20 budgetary programmes during the financial year, and its budget in fact was about 171bln AMD, the use of the specified programme was 95%. According to the assessment of the Acting Minister of Finance, there was modest index – 326.5AMD or 98.9% of the specified programme for the budget use during the financial year. The Commission does not almost carry out events, it is the financing of the maintenance expenditures. In 2020 the Public Television and Radio Company Council spent 7.1bln AMD from the state budget or carried out the designed means in the whole volume. The office of the Commissioner for Diaspora implemented 5 events, which has been 101mln AMD, which is less from the programme index by 35% conditioned by the pandemic.

Afterwards those responsible for the spheres presented the used budgetary means, non-complete or non-fulfilled programmes and their reasons.

As the RA Acting Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Vahram Dumanyan informed, in 2020 the reforms aimed at the accessibility of the rendering service quality, the rise of the country rating on the international platforms, the improvement of the legal field, the preparing of the staff in accordance with the labour market demands, continued. At the same time, considerable works had been done conditioned by state of emergency and martial law. In 2020, 21 elementary schools, providing the inclusion of 462 five and six-year old children in pre-school educational services. 1335 state schools, the factual number of the schoolchildren is 388.422.

According to the Chairman of the RA Public TV and Radio Company Ara Shirinyan, the budget execution for 2020 of the sphere led by him was 99%. Compared with the previous year, the expenditures of the structure reduced by 19.4% or by 1.6bln AMD. The prevailing part of the financial means, about 5.8bln AMD, was allocated to the television services. Compared with the previous year, the expenditures of the television services by 3.7% or 221.2mln AMD conditioned by war situation.

In 2020, about 314mln AMD was allocated by the law on the RA state budget for the programmes being implemented with the responsibility of the National Commission on Television and Radio, which was increased by the RA Government, and was about 330.3mln AMD. The additional means were directed to the improvement of the technical refurbishment of the Commission on National Commission on Television and Radio.

In the frameworks of Armenia-Diaspora cooperation programme 450.1mln AMD was designed by law for the implementation of six events, however because of coronavirus pandemic and the martial law announced in the country the financial means of 296.6mln AMD was re-distributed among other programmes. As a result, the programme index was 153.5mln AMD for the implementation of five events, the expenditures were about 109.9mln AMD, providing 65% execution.

The speakers also answered to the MPs’ questions and gave clarification.