The communities which amalgamated in the last year and obtained the government grant for the development of infrastructure in 2016 have begun the implementation of the respective projects.

It was informed so by First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine Viacheslav Nehoda when opening the meeting of the commission on applications filed by the amalgamated communities with respect to infrastructure projects which may be implemented for account of the government grant.

"We obtain more and more information from the amalgamated communities about the commencement of implementation of infrastructure projects for account of the government grant. We approved respective applications just a few weeks ago and now the real works have started in the cities and villages with amalgamated communities: repairs of roads, street lighting, construction of water pipelines, equipment of Administrative Service Centres, etc. We expect that the process of filing applications and development of projects will enliven because when it comes to the use of funds of the government grant the achievements of your colleagues encourage the communities somewhat lagging behind. Unfortunately, they are plenty so far", Viacheslav Nehoda noted.

On 29 June, the Commission at the Ministry of Regional Development examined 99 more applications filed by the amalgamated communities, which applications pertain to the infrastructure projects that will be implemented for account of the government grant. The aggregate amount appropriated for the implementation of those projects totals approximately UAH 65 million.

In general, the Ministry of Regional Development has already received 632 applications for projects from 116 amalgamated communities. The aggregate amount required for the implementation of those projects totals approximately UAH 598 million (~60 % of the total amount of the government grant).

So far, the Commission has approved 506 applications for projects in the amount of approximately UAH 509 million (~51 %).

27 applications were sent back for improvement.

The best situation is in Vinnytsia (the applications are filed for 100 % of the amount of the government grant appropriated), Zakarpattia (100 %), Mykolaiv (100 %), Sumy (99,9 %), Luhansk (98,7 %), Dnipropetrovk (89,7 %), Kherson (82,7 %), Chernivtsi (77,9 %), and Lviv (79,2 %) Oblasts (regions).

The amalgamated communities of Kyiv and Rivne Oblasts filed no applications at all. The applications filed by the communities of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast are only for 16.6 % Якірof the government grant appropriated.

As it was reported, the amalgamated communities are ready to use more than 50 % of the government grant for infrastructure.

It is a reminder that the government grant in the amount of UAH1 billion was provided for in the State Budget to the amalgamated territorial communities for the development of their infrastructure in 2016. The funds of the government grant will be distributed among 159 amalgamated communities according to a clear formula depending on the number of rural population and the area of the community. That is UAH 960 thousand for the smallest amalgamated community and up to UAH 23 million, for the largest one.