PM has meeting with authorities of north-west Moldova district

Chisinau, 6 February /MOLDPRES/ - Prime Minister Ion Chicu today paid a working visit to the north-western Falesti district, where he had a meeting with the local authorities’ representatives. Attending the meeting were the district’s leadership, the heads of the district structures, district councilors and mayors of settlements – about 100 people, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.   

The prime minister started the meeting by informing the authorities about the actions scheduled by the cabinet for 2020 and the goals pursued. “We have permanent communication with the local authorities. We have meetings with the heads of districts and mayors. The actions planned by the government can be carried out only by joint efforts,” the prime minister noted.  

Ion Chicu said that, in 2019, despite all political unrest, had ended well, with a 1.4-per cent deficit and the state debt decreased by 1.9 per cent to 25.2 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product; meanwhile, tax cuts were enforced. The revenues for last January were by 15 per cent higher against January 2019, as a result of the orderly and efficient administration of processes and public money management.    

The prime minister referred to the cabinet’s intention in 2020 to massively invest  in the restoration of the road infrastructure, with the tenders for the carrying out of the works already launched. This year, the government will make public investments in the aqueducts’ and sewerage networks, as well as in the energy infrastructure.    

„The share of the foreign financial assistance in the national public budget is 2.4 per cent. This is an important sum, yet, not critical for Moldova. The national economy evolves and we must maintain this tendency,” the PM said.   

Ion Chicu assured that the settlements would be treated fairly and the discriminatory approaches would be excluded. “We need your involvement in the monitoring of the works’ quality. The investments should be sustainable. Do not hurry to make one km of road in the settlement. Better repair or build a shorter segment, but it should be qualitative,” the prime minister stressed.

The PM tackled the issue of unauthorized waste deposits and the projects financed by the government and donors for creating the infrastructure of collecting and processing solid waste.

„All of us speak about the young people’s leaving. We benefit from the freedom of movement and if we do not restore the roads, do not build aqueducts and sewerage, do not illuminate and clean the waste from the settlement, young people will continue leaving. Obviously, we deal with the attraction of investments and creation of jobs in each district. We have a lot to do together,” Ion Chicu said.   

The district authorities informed the prime minister about the intention to make progress in the construction of the aqueduct and improve the situation in terms of the supply with water of the districts’ settlements and reconstruction of the district stadium.

The sides also approached such subject as the difficulties faced in the carrying out of public procurements, evaluation of public assets put for sale, unbalances in the payment of salaries to local civil servants, problem of nourishment of children in kindergartens and schools, collection of revenues in the local public budgets, problems in the use of the health insurances and other topics.     

Ion Chicu informed those present about the government’s intention to complete the budget meant for children’s nourishment, about the dysfunctions in the process of procurement of medicines and inefficient management of the resources allocated for the National Ecological Fund. “The children must be nourished well, beyond doubts. We consider the unbalances recorded and starting from 1 September we will complete the funds for this sector and will change the approach, in order to remove the discriminatory attitude. There is 500 million lei on the accounts of the National Health Insurances Company (CNAM) for medicines; yet, we do not have contracts signed. Almost nothing has been turned to account of the 200 million lei earmarked for the Ecological Fund. We have money, but we must improve the management of public money and of investments,” the official said.      

After the meeting with the authorities, the prime minister received in audience about 20 residents of the Falesti district and visited the district hospital.