On Friday the Mayor's office announced the launch of an eye-catching new programme called Start Business with the Mayor's Office. All residents of Tbilisi between the ages of 35 to 50 who have business ideas are eligible to participate in the programme.

A special center located in city hall will receive Tbilisi residents' business proposals for the next two weeks. After this the best 500 business ideas will be selected, the lucky winners will be given two months training to help them write a competitive business plan, and realise their dreams.

The Mayor's office has allotted GEL 500 000 for the programme, and promised to stand as a guarantor to successful citizens taking bank loans to finance their projects.

"It gives every Tbiliseli [Tbilisi resident] the chance to come and register in this office and receive special education for two months, write a business proposal, take a loan on our recommendation, start a business and get employed," said Mayor Gigi Ugualava on Friday.

The initiative is sure to be seen as part of Ugulava's campaign for the local elections, due to be held on October 5, but it also comes as part of a package of ideas the government has recently come up with that focus on tackling unemployment.

September 1 saw the start of the application process for President Saakashvili's controversial new internship programme. This programme offers three-month paid internships for the unemployed, and will begin on September 15. Saakashvili has promised to place 50 00 jobseekers in internships, and pay them GEL 450.

Due to these initiatives Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli predicted last week that unemployment will reduce dramatically next year. He promised that at least 40 000 new jobs would be created in the country.

"Take people on internships. We will pay a three-month salary of GEL 450 to these people. Nobody will force you to employ these people afterwards, but remember that there are a lot of talented people who you don't know," urged Saakashvili in a speech on Thursday.

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