Albacete, February 1, 2024.- The delegate of the Government of Spain in Castilla-La Mancha, Milagros Tolón, highlighted this Thursday in Albacete the "real and direct impact" that the socioeconomic measures of the central government are having in the province of Albacete. He pointed this out in the appearance before the media that he held together with the subdelegate, Miguel Juan Espinosa.
Milagros Tolón has reviewed the data that confirm “the commitment of the Government of Spain to the people” and, specifically, “to the families and men and women who live and work in Castilla-La Mancha and in the province of Albacete”.
A commitment that is demonstrated by the revaluation of pensions according to the cost of living, and that has allowed, with the Government of Pedro Sánchez, the average retirement pension in the province of Albacete to have gone from 973 euros in 2018 to 1,266 euros for this 2024, an increase of 30.11%.
“With the PP model, which kept pensions frozen since 2013, the average retirement pension in Albacete today would be 988 euros, but with the PSOE Government, as I say, it is 1,266 euros,” said Milagros Tolón, who said that 45,422 retired pensioners from Albacete benefit from this measure.
Undefined contracts
On the other hand, the reforms in the labor field have allowed that “since 2019 the number of indefinite contracts has increased in Albacete by 252%”. From the 21,311 contracts in 2019 “we have gone to 75,148 in 2024; that is 53,837 indefinite contracts more than five years ago when the PP governed”, thereby improving the stability and quality of employment.
Social Security
The good performance of the labor market is also reflected in the Social Security that as of December 2023 adds 150,967 members in Albacete, 12,497 more than in December 2018.
Scholarships and Transportation
On the other hand, the State allocated 11.7 million euros of scholarships to the province, from which 5,704 students benefited in the academic year 2022-2023. In terms of Transport, so far in 2024, more than 11,600 people benefit in Albacete from the free subscriptions and the 50% discount on the subscriptions of the AVANT trains.
Minimum Vital Income – Social Bonus
For the most vulnerable groups, the Minimum Vital Income has reached 20,310 people in Albacete; and the Social Electric Bonus benefits 26,291 people.
The delegate has completed this review “with three magnitudes of regional level that are also a reflection of the economic management of the Government of Spain. Thus, the total number of unemployed in Castilla-La Mancha in 2018 was 160,000 people, and at the end of 2023 it is 126,800; that is, “today there are 43,200 fewer unemployed in the region than when the PP ruled”.
As for the recent increase in the minimum wage approved by the Government of Spain, it will benefit 77,000 workers from Castilla-La Mancha. With the 5% increase agreed with the unions, “they will receive 54 more gross euros each month, according to the estimate made by Workers’ Commissions”.
Finally, Milagros Tolón has referred to regional incentives aimed at companies in the region. In 2023, 25 projects involving a total investment of 254.2 million euros were approved for Castilla-La Mancha. “These initiatives have received 53.3 million euros of funding from the Government of Spain and have created 764 jobs and maintained 3,240 jobs.”
“These are the figures that confirm that the measures of the Government of Spain have a real impact on people and their quality of life to counteract a very complex and adverse economic and social context for the most vulnerable families. We manage the economy better because we put it at the service of the people,” said Milagros Tolón.
Roads, railway and debugging
For his part, Miguel Juan Espinosa has reviewed the main investments of the Government of Spain approved and developing in the province of Albacete during 2023 as the award of works of the A-32 section and link with the CM-313 Balazote-West, for an amount of 96.55 million euros and that “will start soon”
He also referred to the contract for conservation and exploitation services for 132 kilometers of the State Road Network in the province of Albacete, which has a budget of 10.5 million euros, or to the rehabilitation of the variant of Villatoya (N-322), with almost half a million euros of investment.
In terms of actions in railway infrastructure, the project of construction of a lower crossing between platforms in Almansa station and the improvement of the La Gineta-Socuéllamos and Alcázar de San Juan – Albacete section has pointed out, with an investment of 27 million euros.
With regard to water purification, the EDAR of Albacete, with 32 million euros of investment, and of Almansa, with 8.4 million, are currently under construction. In addition, the pumping replacement works of the Community of Irrigators Mancha Orienta (60 million euros) and the construction of secondary manifolds from Isso to the purification station of Hellín continue, with an investment of 2 million euros.