"Fact": Buying a bicycle on credit will be encouraged and subsidized by the state: draft
The "Fact" daily writes: "The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has submitted for public discussion the draft resolution "On approving the measure to encourage a healthy lifestyle among the public and promote alternative forms of transportation." The goal is to promote a healthy lifestyle and physical activity among the public, on the one hand, and to promote environmentally safe alternative forms of public transportation, on the other hand.
The authors of the project note that Armenia lags behind developing countries in terms of regular physical activity of the population, where more than 40-50 percent of the population is engaged in physical culture. The government prioritizes the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and physical activity among the public. For this reason, state allocations to the sports sector increased by about five times in 2023 compared to 2018, and within its framework, allocations to mass sports increased by about 10 times with this very target in mind. The ministry notes that new mass sports events have been introduced since 2021, in particular, the five RA Prime Minister's Cup tournaments. In order to organize school cycling and promote cycling among schoolchildren, more than 6,500 bicycles were purchased and provided to all schools in 2024, and trainings for relevant specialists are also organized for the correct operation and competent use of bicycles. The continuation of this policy is to include students and employees of higher and vocational education and training (VET) institutions in the framework of promoting healthy physical activity. The aim of this project is to create a support mechanism to encourage students and employees of VET and higher education institutions who consider cycling as a means of transportation, a preference, to have the opportunity to purchase a bicycle with the necessary accessories at an affordable price, and to use it in everyday life.
According to the ministry, this policy will also encourage relevant economic entities by creating more favorable conditions for their activities. It is proposed to purchase an amateur class bicycle with a loan of up to 300 thousand drams. The loan repayment period is up to 120 months, the subsidy period is up to 36 months. Market analyses and meetings with companies engaged in bicycle sales have shown that the price proposed by the project is sufficient to purchase quality bicycles of different classes.
