Georgian PM unveils plan for “balanced” regional development, environm...
Kobakhidze said over GEL 2 billion ($730mln) would be allocated for
the development of regions through the Municipal Development Fund
while a special programme focused on infrastructure development in
settlements across the occupation line separating the Russian-occupied
regions from the rest of the country would receive an annual
allocation of GEL 20 million ($7.29mln).“Under the rural support
programme, a minimum of GEL 400 million ($145.73mln) will be allocated
over the next four years. At least GEL 155 million ($56.47mln) will be
allocated under the Mountain Fund [...] It is crucial to ensure that
the benefits are evenly distributed across the country, reaching
different regions. Investments will continue to be made in this
regard”, Kobakhidze said.In environmental initiatives, the
Government aims to implement modern early warning systems over the
next four years and increase the area of protected areas in the
country by an additional 100,000 hectares, the Prime Minister
said.“Also, 15,000 hectares of forest will be restored and planted.
In the last four years, we have increased the pace of reforestation by
about five times compared to the previous government. It is not even
worth comparing; the amount of forests restored and planted by them
was so insignificant in our country”, he said.Kobakhidze also
highlighted reduction in air pollution in major cities such as the
capital city of Tbilisi and Rustavi, saying air pollution had
decreased by 25 percent and 35 percent respectively over the past few
years.The Prime Minister said GEL 200 million ($72.87mln) would be
allocated for the municipal transport programme over the next four
years.“This funding will be used to improve the transport
infrastructure and services in municipalities and regions [...] The
combined budget for all 68 municipalities totalled around GEL 1.3
billion ($470mln) in 2012, mainly allocated for administrative
expenses. However, the budget for 2024 in the regions alone has
already reached GEL 3.34 billion ($1.22bln), with a projected figure
of GEL 4.59 billion ($1.67bln) for 2028”, he said.“As for Tbilisi,
the budget of the capital city was only GEL 657 million ($239.36mln)
in 2012. The budget has already exceeded GEL 2 billion ($730mln) in
2024, and the forecast for 2028 is GEL 2.25 billion ($820mln). This
amount does not include projects financed from the central budget.
Tbilisi City Hall has significant plans for expanding the metropolitan
network, rehabilitating avenues, and more. Additional resources beyond
the GEL 2.25 billion will be allocated from the central budget for
these projects”, Kobakhidze added.The Prime Minister also said the
budget of the western city of Kutaisi had been GEL 62 million
($22.59mln) in 2012, before increasing to GEL 195 million ($71.04mln)
the following year. Government projections by 2028 put it at GEL 225
million ($81.97mln), he added.Budget for the central-eastern city of
Rustavi had been GEL 49 million ($17.85mln) in 2012, he said, adding
the figure was expected to rise to GEL 180 million ($65.58mln) by 2025
and reach GEL 210 million ($76.51mln) by 2028. The Black Sea port city
of Poti had a budget of GEL 31 million ($11.29mln) in 2012, the PM
noted, before adding the number was anticipated to surpass GEL 100
million ($36.43mln) next year and reach about GEL115 million
($41.90mln) by 2028.In public services, the Government head contrasted
the number of 12 Public Service Halls across the country with the
opening of 109 more venues since the year, with plans to open 12 more
between 2024-2025 to complete the project of their expansion.“This
will ensure that [Public Service Halls] are available throughout the
country, and all municipalities have the necessary infrastructure.
Additionally, the Mobile [Public Service Hall] project has been
implemented to provide relevant services to even remote villages. The
number of services offered in the [venues] has also doubled, which is
crucial for our citizens”, Kobakhidze said.He also emphasised the
importance of the initiative of systematic registration of land,
calling it a “crucial” project and thanking the Ministry of
Justice and Minister Rati Bregadze for initiating and implementing
it.“Over the recent years, one and a half billion plots of land have
been surveyed under this project, and one billion plots have already
been registered. Additional funding will be allocated in the coming
years to register 500,000 plots to their respective owners”,
Kobakhidze said.Addressing the tourism sector, the Prime Minister said
the country would attract eight million visitors this year and
increase the number to 11 million by 2028.“Tourism is an important
sector for our country’s economy, and we take pride in being known
for our hospitality. The development of tourism not only has an
economic impact, but also a cultural significance for us. We can be
proud of the significant growth we have achieved in this area”,
Kobakhidze said.“We had 4.7 million visitors in the country in 2012.
This figure is expected to reach almost eight million by 2024. The
number of visitors is projected to increase to 11 million by 2028.
This shows a very positive growth trend in the number of visitors”,
he added.He noted income from tourism was projected to increase from
$1.4 billion in 2012 to $6.4 billion by 2028, calling it an
“impressive” result.“Of course, these incomes will ultimately
affect incomes and social status of our population”, Kobakhidze
added.The Prime Minister further presented “impressive data”
regarding accommodation facilities, including hotels and guest
houses.“There were 777 hotels in our country with 23,000 places in
2012. The number of hotels is projected to increase to 2,363 with
108,000 places by 2024. This represents a 4.5-fold increase in the
number of places in the hotel sector. The number of hotels is expected
to reach 2,680 with 142,700 places by 2028, which is nearly six times
the number in 2012”, he said.Kobakhidze revealed plans to support
the growth of the industry through private investments of about GEL 1
billion ($360mln) in the hotel sector, as well as allocating over GEL
1 billion for the development of tourist infrastructure, including
urban renewal projects.
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