Ciudad Real.- The delegate of the Government of Spain in Castilla-La Mancha, Milagros Tolón, appeared at a press conference on Thursday to take stock of the impact in the province of Ciudad Real of the social and economic measures that the central executive has adopted “to dignify the lives of workers and offer more opportunities for families in order to build a more just country.”
Accompanied by the subdelegate of the Government in Ciudad Real, David Broceño, Milagros Tolón has reviewed the data that confirm that the measures of the Government "have a real and direct impact on the people who live and work in the province of Ciudad Real" and allow "to counteract a very complex and adverse economic and social context mainly for the most vulnerable families".
In this sense, he referred to the revaluation of pensions according to the cost of living, which has allowed that, with the Government of Pedro Sánchez, the average retirement pension in the province of Ciudad Real has gone from 1,049 euros in 2018 to 1,349 euros for this 2024, an increase of 28.6%.
“With the PP model, which kept pensions frozen since 2013, the average retirement pension in Ciudad Real today would be 1,064 euros, but with the PSOE Government, as I say, it is 1,349 euros,” said Milagros Tolón, who said that 55,696 retired pensioners from the province of Ciudad Real 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 Ciudad Real by 438%, the largest increase among the provinces of Castilla-La Mancha”. This improvement in the quality and stability of employment has resulted in that from 12,909 indefinite contracts in 2019 it has gone to 69,444 in 2024; that is, “56,535 indefinite contracts more than five years ago when the PP governed”.
With regard to Social Security, at the end of December 2023, 177,921 members were registered in the province of Ciudad Real, 7,986 more than in December 2018.
On the other hand, Milagros Tolón has indicated that the State allocated to the province in the academic year 2022-2023 12.9 million euros in scholarships, from which 6,263 students benefited. As for Transport, so far in 2024, more than 21,000 people in Ciudad Real benefit from free subscriptions and the 50% discount on AVANT train subscriptions.
Minimum Vital Income – Social Bonus
For the most vulnerable groups, the Minimum Vital Income has reached 27,144 people in Ciudad Real; and the Social Electric Bonus benefits 24,523 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, “43,200 unemployed less in the region than when the PP ruled”.
As for the recent increase in the recently approved minimum wage, it will benefit 99.100 workers from Castilla-La Mancha. With the 5% increase agreed with the unions, it reaches 1,134 euros, which is an increase of 54% since Pedro Sánchez is president of the Government.
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 indicate that we manage the economy better because we put it at the service of the people,” said Milagros Tolón, who insisted that the data “confirm that people are the central axis of the action of the Government of Spain and their priority is that the agreements adopted in the Council of Ministers reach the people and improve the lives of the citizens who live in our towns and cities.”
Infrastructure
For his part, the deputy delegate of the Government, David Broceño, referred to the actions on roads, railways and security infrastructures in the province of Ciudad Real where “it is important to highlight that there have been investments in infrastructure and water and improvements in communication and provincial security, as a sign of the commitment of our president, Pedro Sánchez, with this province and with a socialist model of progress and investment, faced with the abandonment and abandonment of previous governments of the Popular Party.”
Regarding the road infrastructure, “in 2023 54 million euros were invested for roads in the province, highlighting the repair of the N-430 in Ruidera (789,000 euros) and the rehabilitation of the bridge over the Madrid-Badajoz railway in the N-502 (980,000 euros)”.
On the other hand, he stressed that it has just been awarded, “for 10.5 million euros, the execution of various conservation and exploitation operations on state roads in the province of Ciudad Real”. The contract covers a total of 212 km of roads of the N-401, N-430 and the N-502 in different sections and has a duration of three years. It is part of the program of conservation and exploitation of roads of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, “which allows to maintain the road in the State Road Network so that it is accessible in suitable conditions for all citizens and reinforces the orientation towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with which the Government of Spain is committed”.
Also very important are projects and studies such as the variant of Fuente el Fresno and Piedrabuena, the southwestern variant of Ciudad Real and the northern variant of Puertollano for an amount of more than 100 million euros.
It is also worth highlighting the clear commitment made by the railway sector with more than 90 million euros; among others to improve the Madrid-Seville AVE line, also the Algeciras-Zaragoza crossing of which the province is part; and the renewal of the Merida-Puertollano line. It highlights the comprehensive reform of the Puertollano AVE station for almost 10 million euros that will begin around the month of June.
The Government of Pedro Sánchez “reaffirms its commitment to the improvement of infrastructures to provide quality public security services,” said Broceño, who said that the Government of Spain “continues to invest resources and efforts in modernizing and adapting these infrastructures to guarantee the protection and well-being of all citizens of the province of Ciudad Real.”