Impoverished Pensioners in Telavi Forced to Buy State Newspaper

Impoverished Pensioners in Telavi Forced to Buy State Newspaper

Since March, pensioners have been given a raise of 5 laris in their pensions - which now only amount to 33 laris. Although the government considers this to be one of their greatest achievements, the pensioners themselves give the government a sharp rebuke and point out their extreme social and financial difficulties. The pensioners in Akuri, a village in the Telavi region, state that the local government forces them to buy the administration’s newspaper and takes the cost of the paper out of their pensions.

The majority of pensioners in Telavi are lonely and the miserable pension, which has now been increased to 33 laris, is their only income. They claim that apart from bread they cannot afford to buy any other food for the 33 laris they get.

“The government has raised pensions not because they worry about the people, but so they can claim to have made some achievement. Everybody knows that the prices of goods have doubled in the country recently. It makes no difference if we get those five extra laris; the authority just derides its people”, says G. Shatirishvili, aged 79.

Some pensioners expressed their annoyance regarding the fact that the government did not increase pensions inline with work experience or length of service: “Everybody gets the same amount of money; those who worked and those did not work a day. There is no difference. We are all put in the same boat”.

Natela Samadashvili says: “The government ignores the people. I do not want to believe that the government wants people die from hunger, however, it is difficult to believe otherwise”.

The salaries within the authority are another matter of discussion among the pensioners. They think that citizens should get at least half or a third of the amount that the government representatives get in order to afford acceptable living conditions. “If the salaries paid at the local and central authorities are not enough for them, how can we manage to survive on that money? If the government thought about the people, it would not place us in such conditions. They added 5 laris and are satisfied - as if they did a great job for the country. If they really think about people, they should cut down their own wages and give it to the people”, states R. Mchedlishvili.

Although, the pensioners in the village of Akuri in the Telavi region worry about their social problems, they are more concerned with the fact that they cannot get the whole amount of their pension. They state that the local government forces them to buy the administration’s newspaper and deducts its value (50 tetri) out of their pensions.

“I do not want to buy it but I am forced to. When the pension is the only income for a person, 50 tetri is good money. I would prefer to buy a loaf of bread with this money, but no one is interested in what we think”, says D. Bluashvili.

There are three or more pensioners in some families and all of them have to buy the ‘Chveni Gazeti’ newspaper. “Both of us, my wife and me, are pensioners, each of us were given the newspaper and docked the price from our pensions. We only need one newspaper to get information”, notes N. Khatiashvili.

Nana Kibishauri, editor of the ‘Chveni Gazeti’ newspaper, states that she does not possess any information that the pensioners are forced to buy her newspaper. “I am sure everything is a brazen lie”, assures Kibishauri.

The pensioners however are certain that they will be forced to buy another issue of the newspaper on the day they take their next pension.

Veriko Kobiashvili from Telavi