Imperial News Network

[RC159570]

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Emperor Valerii II Announces Science Initative
07:42 AM UST, 5 Tolven 1581 CE

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Isle Spei

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Isle Spei, Isle Spei- At a press conference during a visit to Isle Spei Emperor Valerii II announced the continuation and expansion of the Drahen 1600 program, which had been started in 1570 by his father Emperor Valerii I. The Drahen 1600 program was created as a effort between the Emperor and the Office of the Protasekretis as a government-wide initiative to prepare Drahen for the 16th century. The development had a specific focus on economic, military and infrastructure development, with the with an estimated spending of over one trillion imperial credits over the last ten years, meaning the Drahen 1600 program is by far the single most expensive government initiative since the founding of Drahen. The Emperor pointed to the economic development brought on by increased spending by the government, stating that the program had created over 1 million jobs since it's incption. Emperor Valerii II stated that adding a scientific portion of the Drahen 1600 program is necessary stating, "the scientific prowess of Drahen is just as important as any other facet of the Drahen 1600 program." The new scientific initiative includes additional Drahen funding for the joint Drah-Mestran initiative on Isle Spei, in addition to increased funding for the Drahen space program, civilian nuclear programs, and increased scientific grant funding. Though the increase in funding has been welcomed by the Drahen scientific community, critics of the Drahen 1600 have denounced the program and the new initiative as being "cost-inefficient" and stating that it will increase the national debt significantly with some estimates estimating that the Drahen 1600 will nearly double the national debt over the next 20 years.