Lankaran and Tovuz regions are leaders in official poverty

Baku/13.01.23/Turan: In the Lankaran and Tovuz regions, more families receive targeted state social assistance (TSSA) than internally displaced persons throughout the country.

In the Lankaran region, 3,285 families receive TSSA, and in the Tovuz rtegion – 3,239 families whose incomes are below the poverty level. No similar information on the number of families in the areas liberated from the Armenian occupation is available. 

In response to IA Turan request the press service of the State Social Security Fund said that the targeted state social assistance is specified by the actual address of the family. "Checking the financial situation of the family who applied for the AGSP is carried out at the address where it actually lives. For this reason, persons applying in accordance with the law on the state social assistance with an address must indicate their actual address when filling out an application-declaration in electronic form. 

In order to ensure transparency in the targeted state social assistance, a list of recipients of targeted state social assistance is published on the official website of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security of Population. It is this circumstance that explains the lack of information about the Kelbajar, Lachin, Zangilan, Gubadli, Jabrayil, Shusha, Khojaly, Khojavend regions and the city of Khankendi in this list. 

According to statistics, the number of families whose registration addresses are located in the regions and who receive state social assistance is more than 3,000 people."

According to IA Turan, as of January 11 this year, 59,520 families whose incomes amount to less than 200 manats per family member per month were granted the right to receive TSSA. In the register open to the public, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security of Population does not report on the number of family members who receive this monetary assistance from the state budget.

According to the register, 11,947 families receive TSSA in 12 districts of Baku. The most peculiar low level of poverty was recorded in Balakan (37 families), Oguz (99), Gakh (76), Gobustan (26), Khyzy (40), Zardab (40) regions and in the city of Naftalan (83).

Recall that the targeted state social assistance is assigned for a period of 12 months. Since January 2023, the criterion of need for obtaining TSSA has been equated to the subsistence minimum – 246 manats. The government expects that this year the average amount of this assistance per family will rise by 36% and amount to 535 manats per month. -08B-