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Armenian citizens will have improved living conditions in 2017, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Artem Asatryan told reporters on Wednesday during a briefing in the National Assembly.

“The next year’s [government] program includes all the measures and directions that are aimed at reducing the social burden,” the minister said when asked to make predictions for the coming year.
Minister Asatryan stressed there were no analysis indicating the percentage of the poverty reduction due to the government program implementation. To him, the poverty rate is measured by the National Statistical Service based on the World Bank methodology, and the 2015 data was to be published in the coming week.

Asatryan also refrained from detailing how the public living conditions would be improved.

“What I am suggesting is that the presented directions in the government program are aimed at reducing the social burden. That includes the differentiated approach of reducing the electricity and gas price for certain layers of the population. The price reduction is envisaged for greenhouse owners and for those engaged with processing agricultural goods,” the minister said, adding the move will promote additional income for the citizens.

Minister Asatryan ensured the sphere of social protection would remain a priority for the government.