Media Review December 29, 2018

The solution of social problems of IDPs, a look at the criteria for increasing pensions, raising GDP in Azerbaijan in comparison with the CIS countries are the leading topics of today's media.

The newspaper "Azerbaijan" writes about the solution of the social problems of the internally displaced persons against the background of small towns for this category of persons opened by President Ilham Aliyev on December 24 and 27. Thus, this year 6,805 families of displaced persons were provided with housing. In total, the number of apartments for immigrants was 2005. Small towns for internally displaced persons were opened in Sumgait and in the territory of Absheron district. The author recalls that the process of resettlement of this category of persons began with the elimination in 2007 of 12 tent camps. For them, multi-storey buildings and settlements with a total square of 3.5 million square meters were built. meters, the number of residential complexes has reached 102. In total, the author claims, 7.1 billion manat was spent on solving the problems of displaced persons. The poverty level among them has decreased in 15 years from 75% to 12%.

The site "Modern.az" writes about the proposal of the economist-expert Vugar Bayramov to change the criteria for indexing pensions. From January 2019, pension amounts will be indexed in accordance with the percentage increase in the size of the average monthly salary.

Previously, indexation was carried out in accordance with the level of inflation.

The expert believes that there is a need to improve the mechanism for indexing pensions. It would be more appropriate to carry out indexation in accordance with the growth of incomes of the population, the expert notes. According to him, unofficial employment takes place in the country, and therefore an increase in the growth of average wages does not fully express the increase in income. According to official statistics, incomes of the population increase in comparison with the average wage with a large percentage. Therefore, this indexation does not allow the growth of pensions. According to the State Statistics Committee, for 10 months of 2018, incomes of the population increased by 9.2%, and the average salary was only 2.8%. In 2019, the average salary is expected to increase by 4% and household incomes will increase by more than 9%.

The website "Strateq.az" cites the opinion of economist GubadIbadoglu, according to which, in terms of GDP growth, Azerbaijan ranks last among the CIS countries. According to him, there is a big difference between the official indicators of the economic development of the country and the real ones. Thus, with GDP growing by 7%, Tajikistan is ahead, while Azerbaijan occupies the last place with a GDP growth of 0.8%. Azerbaijan has been such an outsider for the past three years, this is confirmed by the CIS State Statistical Department. -0-