Daily News

IN THIS ISSUE:

Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili declared that “work on absolutely new approach” is started in the sphere of natural resources and subsoil.

That envisages “balanced approach to more effective use of our subsoil, so that environmental aspects were taken into account maximally, as well as a lot of other aspects, including labor safety”, the Premier stated at the government meeting today.

The business processes, connected with use of natural resources, will be simplified, First Deputy Premier and Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Dimitri Kumsishvili declared at the news briefing after the government meeting today.

As Kumsishvili specified, “That means that getting the license, as well as following related issues and communication with the state will become considerably simpler”.

Farmers will be able to acquire farming machinery through preferential agrocredits and agricultural appointment mechanization – through preferential agroleasing, the government declared.

Respective order on amendment of preferential agrolending program was approved at the government meeting today.

National Bank of Georgia (NBG) declared that attraction and advertising of attraction of returnable money (including credits) from more than 20 private individuals will be forbidden to unregistered entrepreneurial entities or interconnected groups of individuals.

This legislative amendment will enter in force on March 11 and will extend to microfinancial organizations, not registered by NBG, and entities, which do not have license for implementation of banking or non-banking deposit (credit) activity.

National Bank of Georgia reported that rate of deposits’ larization (i.e. ratio of deposits, placed in lari, to total deposits) as of January 1 made up 34.44%.

That rate as of January 1, 2017, made up 28.62%, so year-on-year growth made up 5.82 percentage points (pp).

National Bank of Georgia reported that rate of credits’ larization (i.e. ratio of credits, placed in lari, to total credits) as of January 1 made up 41.91%.

That rate as of January 1, 2017, made up 34.54%, so on-year growth made up 7.36 percentage points (pp).

TI Georgia, Georgian branch of Transparency International, declared that one more member of the National Communication Commission does not meet qualification requirements.

The matter concerns Merab Katamadze, being elected as the Commission member, as TI Georgia specifies, after several attempts in 2015.

Irakli Lekvinadze, deputy to former mayor of Tbilisi David Narmania, appointed new business ombudsman.

Lekvinadze, 38, is an economist by education and holds doctor’s degree in business administration.

Centers of periodic technical examination of vehicles were given an opportunity to add at own will new lines of testing, Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development declared.

Deadline for presentation by the centers of banking guarantee for expansion of lines is set at February 5.

Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili declared that “Georgia begins serious preparation for winter Olympic Games of 2030”.

The Premier declared the mentioned at the government meeting today, while commenting on meeting with the president of International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach, held in Switzerland’s Lausanne.

Satsurblia Cave (Tskaltubo municipality of Imereti region) will be first speleo-health-improving cave of international standards in the Caucasus, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture declared.

According to the Ministry, the state budget spent 647,000 lari for this infrastructure project.