Armenian authorities adopts additional 2-month program to assist  forcibly displaced persons from Artsakh

ArmInfo.On November 9, the Armenian government approved the procedure for issuing an additional  50 thousand drams to forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh to cover primary consumer expenses in November and December.

As stated by Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan,  the beneficiaries will be persons who are beneficiaries of a one-time  assistance in the amount of 100,000 drams, with some exceptions.  "Those persons who temporarily reside in hotels or guesthouses not  located in the Republic of Armenia, who have more than 2 million  drams in their bank accounts, will not be beneficiaries," Mkrtchyan  said.

As the minister noted, in this case, only the account owner will not  receive the payment, but his family members will. The restriction  does not apply to citizens receiving compensation from the Servicemen  Life and Health Insurance Foundation. The program will also not be  used by those who were registered in the Republic of Armenia before  the forced displacement.

In addition, assistance will not be provided to those citizens who  are currently living in hotels and guest houses. Mkrtchyan recalled  that forcibly displaced citizens receive 50 thousand drams to cover  housing costs, and in order to qualify for an additional 50 thousand  drams for two months, they must leave hotels and guest houses by  November 15.

To become a beneficiary of the program, the applicant must give  written consent to check their accounts so that the Central Bank can  make sure that that only those who have less than 2 million drams in  their accounts receive assistance. Electronic applications for  financial assistance can be sent starting next week, and funds will  be issued non-cash.  About 10 billion drams will be allocated from  the reserve fund for these purposes.

The minister also noted that within the framework of the program for  issuing one-time assistance of 100 thousand drams, about 104,200  people received the amount.

According to the RA government, 100,632 forcibly displaced citizens  entered Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh. As previously announced, in  addition to one-time assistance of 100 thousand drams for urgent  needs, residents of Artsakh (from October 2023 to March 2024  inclusive) will receive 40 thousand drams for 6 months (about $100)  to cover housing expenses per month for person, and another 10  thousand drams each to pay for utilities. The program will cover all  displaced citizens, regardless of age, with the exception of those in  special centers and those who are not on the territory of Armenia.   At the same time, property owners in Armenia will receive 10 thousand  drams to pay utility bills. The total cost of the program will be 27  billion drams.