Social Safety Nets for Vulnerable Populations in the Province of Buenos Aires

The objectives of the Supporting the Electricity Social Tariff Transition in the Province of Buenos Aires Project in Argentina are to support the transition of the electricity social tariff scheme from the federal to the Buenos Aires provincial level, while strengthening the institutional capacity of the province of Buenos Aires to implement Social Tariff (ST) delivery. This project consists of three components: (1) Institutional capacity building on social tariff implementation and energy efficiency. In the short term, this component includes technical assistance activities which aim at strengthening the Province of Buenos Aires (Provincia de Buenos Aires) (PBA) structure (roles and responsibilities) to manage the ST and the capabilities to administer information resources for monitoring. Sub-component 1.1: Institutional strengthening on ST management, information procedures and transparency. This Sub-component will be focused on: (i) enhancing the PBA’s institutional structure to manage the ST, including the revision of roles and responsibilities to implement and monitor the ST; (ii) providing solutions to information gaps of the ST program by improving management procedures and strengthening the data systems of the Directorate of Subsidies and Directorate of Public Services; and (iii) improving transparency through access to information on ST, and upgrading grievance mechanisms related to ST. Sub-component 1.2: Gathering information at the local level and from other provincial and national agencies. This Sub-component will support efforts to complete missing information on the 28 percent of electricity users that currently prevents them from being considered as potential ST beneficiaries. Activities will be concentrated on: (i) updating the user’s information from the field (re-empadronamiento) and other complementary actions, especially for the users without identification data; and (ii) combining additional administrative sources for cross-checks to provide...