In a ceremony held today at the National Museum, Justice Minister Nela Kuburović handed out contracts of award collected from the so-called ‘opportunity funds’ (unexpended prosecution budget due to non-opportune cases) for 150 projects of public importance in the field of health, culture, education and social protection, of the total value of 470 million dinars. The Minister noted that the awards ceremony was the result of the fourth round of public calls for the allocation of opportunity funds, adding that a total of 1.6 billion dinars had gone to 445 projects over the previous four years.
This year – the Minister explained – 69,971,817 dinars have been awarded to 22 social protection projects (specifically for 7 gerontology centres, 5 centres for children and persons with developmental disorders, elderly care institutions and other institutions), 142,111,901 dinars to educational institutes (65 schools and kindergartens), 181,047,533 dinars to 35 healthcare institutions, and 50,646,210 dinars to 11 culture projects. As for support to persons with disabilities, 7 institutions and associations, such as the association of the blind and deaf, the Association of Persons with Autism, NURDOR and others, have received 8,417,605 dinars.
Minister Kuburović noted that the Ministry of Justice, the Awards Committee of which had conducted the public call, had been continuously monitoring the implementation of the awarded projects seen as every beneficiary was obliged to spend the funds within the given deadline and submit a spending report to the Awards Committee.
The contract awards ceremony was attended by Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs Mr Zoran Đorđević, Minister of Health Mr Zlatibor Lončar, Minister of Culture and Information Mr Vladan Vukosavljević as well as representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development.
Minister Lončar stated that the health institutions which had received the funding would purchase 11 ambulance vehicles, dialysis vehicles, ultrasound machines and other medical equipment, and that such acquisitions would show the citizens that investments in the health sector were being made.
Minister Đorđević said he was certain that the awarded social protection projects would contribute to the improvement of social services.
Full statements and video coverage of the ceremony are available on the following website: www.inforbiro.tv.