Remisova: Rasi Turns 'Digital Seniors' Project into Overpriced Racket

Bratislava, October 3 (TASR) - Investment Minister Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) turned a community project called 'Digital Seniors' into an overpriced racket worth millions to the benefit of a single-person firm, and the goal of training 100,000 individuals in digital skills is far from realistic, seeing as the firm that's supposed to organise the courses has neither the necessary premises nor lecturers, former investment minister and MP Veronika Remisova ('Slovakia'-For the People-KU) claimed on Thursday. "Richard Rasi took the nice community project I had put together and negotiated under the Recovery Plan and turned it into a typical colossal Smer racket for a single-party firm, which had been receiving enormous commissions also under previous governments of Smer," said Remisova. Remisova added that the ministry concluded eight contracts on courses worth €921,000 in August with a firm from the town of Levice that has neither the necessary premises nor teachers to organise courses for so many people. "Out of the entire number of 100,000 seniors who must undertake the courses under this project within a year and half, only one-quarter have registered for the courses in the year of Richard Rasi's inaction. Richard Rasi has wasted the entire year. And it's unreal to have a firm without teachers and space, dependent on sub-suppliers, to register an additional 75,000 seniors and train 100,000 people over the course of another year, as it's stipulated by the Recovery Plan," said Remisova. In its response, the Investment Ministry claimed that over the two years Remisova had managed to put through courses only 2,000 individuals out of 105,000. This means that, according to the ministry, Remisova spent €142 per senior without any public tender, whereas the ministry has managed to squeeze down the sum to €96 per person on average. mf/mcs