The State Assists Only Those IDPs Who Live in Cottages in New Settlements

Tea Tedliashvili, Gori

So-called new IDPs (people who were displaced during the Georgia-Russia war in August of 2008) received the IDP status several months ago though not all of them did. The status was granted only to those IDPs who live in the cottages in the new settlements.

As for those without cottages they have no status yet: these people still live in kindergartens and need the status more than others.

Manana Champuridze, head of the Shida Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti regional department of the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation, the people sheltering in the kindergartens will receive the status after they move to cottages. Before that, 413 IDP families still live without the allowance for IDPs.

“The victimized people living in kindergartens have to move from one to another place continuously and it is impossible to estimate their permanent addresses. Thus, we cannot grant the status to them yet as well as the allowance,” said Manana Champuridze.

The IDPs living in the cottages get social allowance instead of the allowance for IDPs (that is 28 GEL approx. 14 Euro). With the initiative of the government every IDP was included in the data base of the socially impoverished people automatically and now they receive social allowances.

According to the social program the first applicant of the IDP family will receive 30 GEL (approx. 15 Euro) and other members will get 24 GEL (approx. 12 Euro). However, those who received the allowance before the war do not get IDP allowance now. 90 percent of the IDPs living in the new settlements get social allowance and not IDP allowances.

“The IDPs were distributed agreement forms where they had to agree that they wanted to receive social allowance instead IDP allowance. Those who refused now get 28 GEL IDP allowance,” said Manana Champuridze.

“We have not received IDP allowance of 28 GEL yet; only old IDPs get it. We receive social allowances,” said Zurab Okropiridze from the settlement in Berbuki village.

The IDPs living in the settlements have right to choose the allowance.

The victimized people living in kindergartens have difficult situation. They cannot get any allowance from the state because they do not have a status.

“I cannot say whether the people living in kindergartens get allowances but the only thing I know is that they cannot get IDP allowances because they do not hold the status before they are lodged in new cottages. Those people can apply to the social agencies and request examination of their living conditions. The agent will visit their family and after that they can get the allowance. The Poverty Reduction State Program does not assist them,” said Manana Champuridze.