Experts Do Not Agree with the Rosy Assessment from Ilham Aliyev

Baku/10.01.14/Turan : The poverty level in Azerbaijan in 2013 was 5.3% . This was announced on January 9 at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on the results of 2013 by President Ilham Aliyev.

The President talked about improving the welfare and living standards , thanks to his policies . Thus, the unemployment rate in the country dropped to 5 % , due to opening 110,000 new jobs, of which 80,000 are permanent, in 2013, Aliyev said.

However , calculations show that in fact the situation is not so rosy.

The State Committee on Statistics told Turan they do not have final indicators of poverty in the country for the simple reason that the results of the studies are not completed yet . Local government statistics , according to the approved schedule , will present preliminary data on the region by the 15th of January. Within 45 days the Committee shall process the data and provide data on the level of poverty across the country.

The poverty level is determined by the results of research on 0.25 % of households. In 2013 it was 4,250 families. In 2014, the State Statistics Committee moves to a new level of definition of poverty in the country. For this purpose, in accordance with the State Program of development of official statistics in the years 2013-2017 , they will examine the state of 0.5%, or about 9,000 households.

In 2012 , according to the State Statistics Committee, the poverty rate (6 %) was determined by the rate of consumer spending per capita 119.34 manat at the subsistence level of 108 manats. In 2013, at the cost of living equal to 116 manats, this figure has not yet been calculated.

The economist Gubad Ibadoglu told Turan that the government released data on the poverty level do not correspond to the realities of life . An illustrative example is the results that determine the value of the minimum consumer basket in accordance with the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of 30 April 2009.

At the approved by parliament and government subsistence level for the year 2012 amounting to 116 manats for able-bodied citizen, the public association Center for Economic Research established its real value in the amount of 169 manats. For pensioners, the figure was 152 manats (officially AZN 84), and for children, 207.30 manat ( AZN 87).

Ibadoglu believes that the level of poverty in the country is much higher than the official figures say, but the disclosure of the real figures does not suit the authorities. -08B-