Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a resolution on a lump sum payment of 10 thousand rubles to families with children under 16 years of age. On Friday, June 26, the press service of the Cabinet.
It is noted that payments will be automatically charged to those families that have already received financial assistance in June.
“The money will be transferred to them on the basis of the data available to the Pension Fund. Those parents who have not yet managed to draw up benefits will have to submit applications by October 1. They will receive payments (for June-July. - RT ) as a single amount, ”the statement said.
Recall that in the spring, in the framework of measures to support Russians, Vladimir Putin proposed from April to June to pay families 5 thousand rubles for each child under the age of three years, and also from June 1 to introduce one-time payments of 10 thousand rubles for each child with three to 16 years old. On June 23, during an appeal to citizens, the president announced the extension of the material assistance program.
“The largest scale support measure was a one-time payment in June of 10 thousand rubles for each child from three to 16 years old, these funds in difficult times became an aid to Russian families. At the same time, the economy has not yet fully earned, and unemployment has grown, difficulties have not yet receded. In this regard, I consider it necessary once again in July to pay an additional 10 thousand rubles for each child from birth to 16 years, ”Putin said.
According to him, this measure will be able to take advantage of Russian families in which about 28 million children grow up. As Mikhail Mishustin later noted, 270 billion rubles from the government reserve fund will be allocated for July payments.
The actions of the authorities should support the population during the period when the economy leaves the quarantine regime, Pavel Sigal, vice president of the All-Russian public organization of small and medium-sized enterprises “Support of Russia”, said in an interview with RT.
“The extension of the measure for another month will be good support for Russian families. Moreover, if the first payment went to the majority of families for operational needs, then the July funds are likely to be spent on preparing children for the new school year. Such expenses occupy a rather large percentage of the family budget, so financial assistance will make it possible to compensate for this gap, ”the expert explained.
According to the Pension Fund, the first lump sum payment of 10 thousand rubles was provided to 14.8 million families for 21 million children. Also, 5.1 million families with 4.4 million children received 5 thousand rubles for each child up to three years of age. Moreover, the total amount of payments reached 274 billion rubles.
“This measure is a rather expensive tool of government support, but it was necessary in the context of the fight against the pandemic. A large number of Russians with children found themselves in financial difficulties due to the self-isolation regime, and these funds allowed them to survive difficult times. We do not exclude that these measures can be extended for another couple of months depending on the economic situation in the country, ”said RT Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs Yaroslav Nilov.
Moreover, at the moment, the authorities are proposing to expand the circle of recipients of direct assistance from the state. As State Duma deputy Svetlana Bessarab told RT, the Federation Council is considering raising the age threshold for payments for children.
“In our opinion, it would be fair for families with children aged 16 to 18 to receive payments. We understand that from the age of 16 a citizen can provide for himself, but in practice, up to the age of 18, Russians often remain dependent on their parents. Such families also have difficulties and need help, ”Bessarab emphasized.
Vaccination for the economy
According to experts, direct payments to the population can accelerate the recovery of the Russian economy from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. So, government support measures should lead to an increase in the purchasing activity of Russians and thereby strengthen consumer demand, which has sunk in recent months. This point of view in conversation with RT was expressed by Georgy Ostapkovich, Director of the Center for Market Studies of the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, HSE.
“Most of the Russians who received 10 thousand rubles from the state will quickly spend this money on the purchase of goods and services, which will increase the level of consumption and, as a result, accelerate the restoration of production capacities. At the same time, steady growth in purchasing power will become one of the main drivers of economic expansion. According to my forecasts, already in 2021, GDP will show a compensating recovery of 2.5%, ”the expert emphasized.
Also, a financial support program for families can have a positive effect on the labor market, experts say. Recall that in March the unemployment rate in Russia was about 4.7%, however, in May it rose to 6.1%. As explained by Svetlana Bessarab, payments minimize the process of workers leaving for shadow employment and will reduce unemployment.
“During the pandemic and under strict quarantine measures, a large number of citizens were forced to go to part-time workers and receive lower salaries. If there were no support in the form of direct payments, some of them would be forced to leave for the shadow sector of the economy or agree to seasonal employment in order to fully provide for their families. As a result, the labor market, which already suffered significant losses due to COVID-19, would still not have been counted as part of the officially employed labor force, and it took several times longer to restore it, ”concluded the interlocutor of RT.