President Promises to Reduce Poverty Rate in Three Years

(Tbilisi, June 30, 2003, Civil Georgia) – President Shevardnadze hopes that implementation of the IMF-funded Poverty Reduction and Economic Growth Program will reduce poverty rate in the country within 2-3 years.

?At the moment 40-45% of the population lives in poverty, while within 2-3 years this number will be only 4-5%,? said the Georgian President in his Monday radio broadcast on June 30.

The Georgian government adopted on 25 June Poverty Reduction and Economic Growth Program for the period 2003-15. The program will cost an estimated 3.8 billion Lari (USD 1.76 billion).

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