The government on Thursday endorsed a pilot project under which children and primary and secondary school pupils will be eligible to free train tickets when going to school, when travelling on one-day school trips or when going to hospital.

The project will be conducted from October 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022, covering an estimated 780,000 children.

The children under this scheme will be given smart cards which will be valid during the implementation of the pilot project.

Transport Minister Oleg Butkovic said that the project’s worth was estimated at HRK 30 million, and that it would ease the burden on local and regional government units as they covered up to 25% of pupils’ commuting costs.

Interpellation on census rejected

The government today proposed that parliament reject the allegations in the opposition-sponsored interpellation on the 2021 population census.

The interpellation was signed by 17 opposition lawmakers who accused the government of a non-transparent approach to this matter and of ulterior political goals.

The government dismissed the accusations as unfounded.

The head of the national statistical office, Lidija Brkovic, said that the census was being conducted in compliance with all the relevant national regulations and international standards.

Set of measures to alleviate situation in quake-hit areas

The government adopted a set of measures to help the residents of the earthquake-hit areas in Sisak-Moslavina County, under which they will be allowed to use the Sisak-Zagreb motorway or  travel services along this route free of charge, and their electricity and gas bills will be covered by the government until the end of this year.