YEREVAN. – The Government of Armenia on Thursday reached a decision to reimburse 142,100,000 drams (approx. $345,602) to ArmRusGazprom Company, to continue supplying natural gas to the country’s needy families at a discount price.   

To note, ever since April 2011, such families are supplied gas at a price of 100 drams (approx. $0.24), per cubic meters, instead of the regular price of 132 drams (approx. $0.32), and they are supplied an annual amount of 300 cubic meters at this price.

During the Cabinet meeting, PM Tigran Sargsyan stated that the assistance being provided to Armenia’s socially disadvantaged classes will increase in 2013, but he asked whether this assistance is factored when calculating the country’s poverty index.  

Labor and Social Affairs Minister Artem Asatryan responded by saying that such allocations are not factored in when making assessments on the disadvantaged classes of society, and therefore the respective methodology needs modifications.