Has the number of poor decreased in Georgia?

On March 22, PM Nika Gilauri stated that the poverty has decreased four-fold. Independent analysts challenge this statement. Professor Aavto Silagadze stated that if poverty had decreased four times it would have been eliminated by now. Meanwhile, the national statistic department gives the following figures. In 2007 the poverty level was 21.3%; in 2008 it was 22.1%; in 2009 – 21%, so if in 2010 it decreased for times it should be somewhere around 5%. This is not realistic, thinks the analyst. The high scale of poverty is fixed in the official list of vulnerable families. The fact such a registration network is already being used means that the problem is serious. If a family does not receive state support that does not mean that it is not poor. In 2008 there was 1. 636 mln registered as vulnerable individuals, while the state assisted only 371 000. In 2009 there were registered 1.761 mln and the state assisted 420 000. In 2010 there were registered 1.773 mln whereas allowances were given for only 408 000. According to data for February 2011 there are registered 1.688 mln persons whereas allowances are issued to only 499 000.