News

The State Environmental Fund has launched the second round of its project called Dešťovka, a water tank rebates programme intended to boost a policy of rainwater harvesting and utilization.

The Ministry of Environment on Thursday earmarked 240 million crowns to be used in subsidies for homeowners willing to install rainwater tanks to be used for watering gardens, flushing toilets and other household needs instead of drawing on public supplies. One household can receive up to 105,000 crowns in subsidies. The first round of the programme, which was launched in May, proved to be extremely successful, with people applying for the subsidies amounting to 110 million crowns within the first 28 hours.

Residents of Prague have greater projected longevity than people living in other parts of the Czech Republic, with women in the capital expected to live to 82.7 years and men to 78 years on average. The figures are projected for babies born in 2015 and 2016 and come from official government data quoted by Czech Television. Babies born in the Ústí nad Labem region have the lowest life expectancy, with women projected to live to 79.5 years on average and men 74 years.

While Prague enjoys high employment and a relatively high level of social services, Ústí nad Labem suffers from poor air quality and relatively high numbers of people with low living standards.

The lower house of the Czech Parliament voted after many hours of debate on Wednesday to lift the immunity of two ANO deputies, party chief Andrej Babiš and Jaroslav Faltýnek, to allow the police to charge them with subsidy fraud.

The two are accused of illicitly acquiring around CZK 50 million in EU grants in connection with the Stork’s Nest farm and hotel. At the time it was owned by Mr. Babiš’s firm Agrofert.

During Wednesday’s debate Mr. Babiš asked the lower house to vote to lift his immunity. However, he also said the move was part of an attempt to reduce his party’s chances in elections to the Chamber of Deputies next month.

The Czech Confederation of Trade Unions has declared a strike alert in support of teachers unions, who announced a similar move on Tuesday. The president of the confederation, Josef Středula, informed journalists of the decision on Wednesday.

The national union body is demanding a pay rise of 15 percent for educators and 10 percent for other public sector workers from November. The Social Democrats’ leader, Bohuslav Sobotka, has expressed support for such increases but Finance Minister Ivan Pilný of coalition partners ANO says the state lacks the funds to cover them.

Meanwhile, the Czech Conference of Rectors has announced a Week for Education at the start of October to highlight their demand for greater funding for universities in next year’s budget.