Government suggests allocating UAH 97 bln for fight against COVID-19

07.04.2020 17:25

Ukrinform

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has made provision for the creation of a fund to fight COVID-19 in the amendments to the state budget.

As Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal posted on Facebook, UAH 97.1 billion is budgeted for this purpose.

The proposed amendments to the state budget indicate that the pension expenditures will increase from UAH 172.6 billion to UAH 192.3 billion.

In addition, the Defense Ministry spending is proposed to be left unchanged in the amount of UAH 125 billion.

It is also proposed to reduce expenditures on road repair and construction (from UAH 71.9 billion to UAH 70.8 billion) and the Economy Ministry spending (from UAH 18.1 billion to UAH 17.2 billion).

Shmyhal also noted that the budget amendments imply a shift of emphasis on basic needs amid the pandemic. "We hope that the Verkhovna Rada will summon and support our proposals as soon as possible," he added.

On March 30, the Verkhovna Rada sent the amendments to the state budget for 2020, which proposed to reduce the revenue side by UAH 122.9 billion and increase the expenditure side by UAH 79.2 billion, to the repeated first reading.