The State Budget of Ukraine for 2021 provides for an increase in funding for medicine, education and science, as well as the security and defense sector. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his vlog.
"The state budget for 2021 has been approved. Congratulations to all! We have continued to break old traditions, and for the second time it turns out that the budget can be adopted on time. It turns out that it is possible before five in the morning, that it is possible without bidding and without various whims,” he noted.
According to the Head of State, the state budget provides almost UAH 160 billion for medicine, which is the largest funding since Ukraine's independence. In addition, according to the state budget, it is planned to increase the salaries of health workers in 2021.
"We also plan to equip 210 ER departments and 450 new ambulances. Supplemental payments for doctors who fight COVID-19 will be continued,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
He stressed that next year education and science will receive UAH 26 billion more, and in total almost UAH 170 billion will be allocated for their development. In particular, the salaries of educators will increase by 20%.
As for defense expenditures, the budget of the Ministry of Defense in 2017 amounted to UAH 69 billion, in 2018 - UAH 86 billion, in 2019 - UAH 102 billion, and in 2021 it will reach over UAH 117 billion.
"Please draw your own conclusions. Plus, in addition to our army, we support intelligence, border guards, rescuers and firefighters, and therefore the security and defense sector in general receives the largest budget in history - more than 267 billion hryvnias, " Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
Also, according to him, starting from January 1 next year, the minimum wage will increase to 6 thousand hryvnias, and during the year it will increase to 6.5 thousand hryvnias.
"We continue to provide affordable loans to SMEs. We continue to build roads and bridges. We continue the reconstruction of airports in the regions. We are starting the reconstruction of castles and museums in Ukraine. This is our cultural heritage, and I am very proud that we are beginning this work. And we finish sowing panic and "betrayal",” the Head of State said.
The President thanked MPs from the Servant of the People party and other political forces for supporting the state budget and passing a number of other important laws. In particular, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of a law on the restoration of the powers of the National Agency for Corruption Prevention, which were previously revoked by a decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.
"Consequently, no one will evade responsibility for lies and illicit enrichment. It is good that the parliament quickly corrected the situation," the Head of State said.