Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan on Wednesday paid a working visit to Kotayk province, the press-service of the Government informed Armenian News – NEWS.am.

In the town of Tsaghkadzor, the Premier discussed the tasks and development prospects for the province. The consultation was attended by the province governor Karapet Guloyan, heads of towns and villages, as well as entrepreneurs.

Guloyan noted that in 2017, 90 positions of teachers and administrative staff will be made redundant, as a result of which 60 million AMD (approx. $125,000) will be saved. 50 positions will also be made redundant in the medical institutions, thus saving 44 million AMD.

During the year it is planned to install new solar energy plants, as well asset up greenhouses and orchards. Nevertheless, the level of targeted use of agricultural lands in the province is not high yet.

According to the representatives of the regional administration, the overall cost of the agricultural mechanization in the province will amount to about 300 million AMD. The Premier thus instructed to draw up a program of farm equipment procurement on lease, which will allow to raise the efficiency of services and productivity of the sector. In his words, the Government is ready to support such a program.

“Agriculture is a business. We must help it by promising programs,” Karapetyan noted,

In the sphere of healthcare, he instructed the directors of state polyclinics and hospitals to compete with the private ones. The regional authorities should decide which of them will propose better conditions for hospitals, he added.

Apart from this, a number of investment programs related to solar plants, drip irrigation and manufacturing of leather products were presented to the Premier, who instructed to formulate and submit them to the Government.