40+10 assistance programme for forcibly displaced people to be  extended until end 2024 

ArmInfo. Payments under the social assistance program in the amount of 40+10 thousand drams to pay for  housing and utilities for internally displaced persons from Artsakh will continue until the end of this year. The decision to extend the program was made at a Cabinet meeting on March 28.

Since October 2023, a 6-month program has been launched in Armenia,  within the framework of which 40 thousand drams (about $100) per  month per person are allocated to cover the housing costs of each  family forcedly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, and another 10  thousand drams per person payment of utilities. The program covered  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 receive 10  thousand drams to pay utility bills. The total costs of the program,  as stated, should amount to 27 billion drams.

As Minister of Labor and Social Expenses Narek Mkrtchyan explained at  a government meeting, the program will be extended for 9 months -  from April to December, inclusive. The terms of the program will be  preserved.

In addition, it is proposed to expand the program to include Artsakh  residents who were forced to leave their homes after 2020.  Beneficiaries of the program will also include newborn children and  children under the age of 18, if the beneficiary of the measure is a  parent or guardian or trustee who has applied for financial support.  Housing program beneficiaries who have a housing certificate will not  be able to take advantage of the program.

If the project is adopted, it is predicted that in the RA state  budget for 2024, expenses will increase by approximately 47.7 billion  drams.