PM Bidzina Ivanishvili’s charitable fund, Cartu, has allocated GEL 95 million (about USD 57.2 million) to distribute as monetary compensations to locals in five municipalities of the Kakheti region for damage inflicted by heavy rains, hailstorm and flooding in July, 2012.

In addition, Ivanishvili’s charitable fund has also allocated GEL 5 million (about USD 3 million) for reconstruction of houses’ roofs damaged by last year’s hailstorm and flooding.

Total of 28,500 households will receive monetary compensations, according to the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, which is in charge of coordinating the process in cooperation with Cartu and local authorities in Kakheti municipalities.

Relief efforts in response to substantial damage inflicted by the hailstorm and flooding last July turned at the time into one of the major campaign issues for political groups ahead of the October 1 parliamentary elections.

Ivanishvili-led Georgian Dream, which at the time was in opposition, vowed to compensate “fully” for lost crops in case of victory in the elections. At the time, the previous government amended the 2012 state budget and allocated GEL 50 million for immediate relief efforts.

After winning elections Ivanishvili said in October that he would use his own money to provide promised compensations if state funds were not sufficient for this purpose.

Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure said on January 21 that distribution of monetary compensations, ranging from minimal hundred Lari to several thousand depending on scale of damage inflicted to beneficiaries’ household, would start from this week and be carried out gradually; the entire process of distribution of compensations will last for maximum six weeks, according to the ministry.