MES: Additional work requires additional funding

ArmInfo. The funding of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for 2019 will be increased by approximately 261 million drams. The decision was taken at a  government meeting on July 25.

According to the Minister of Emergency Situations Feliks Tsolakyan,  as of June 1, 2019, the fire service calls more than doubled. Thus,  as of June 1, 2018, 1395 calls were recorded, for the same period of  the current year the number of calls to the service reached 2920. The  unprecedented increase in calls led to fuel waste and the actual fuel  consumption for the 3rd and 4th quarter.

The increase in fuel consumption is also due to the increase in the  number of fire-rescue equipment.  Tsolakyan recalled that in 2019 the  Japanese government provided the Ministry of Emergency Situations  with 28 units of fire equipment, and another 22 fire engines are  expected to arrive by the end of the year.  Another 21 units of  fire-rescue equipment will be received from the Armenian-Russian  Center for Humanitarian Response.

At the same time, as the head of the Emergencies Ministry pointed  out, there is an acute shortage of combat uniforms in the department.  As a result, the Cabinet, agreeing with the minister's arguments,  approved a resolution on increasing the department's funding by 261  million 380 thousand drams.