In the situation of a coronavirus pandemic, it is quite simple to motivate the cancellation of any social initiatives. What do you want? Force majeure circumstances ... Moreover, the call to tighten belts and endure difficulties for some foreseeable time would have passed completely. Instead, the current shake-up not only did not put an end to social obligations in the country, but also made a major correction to them: it gave due acceleration.
Time has become extremely concentrated, therefore, the decision-making process has acquired a more operational format. Red tape disappeared, and performing discipline stopped limping and striving to sit out in the bushes until better times. So, for example, speaking about anti-crisis measures, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin noted that “now it’s important not to miss out on any sound proposals to support citizens and businesses.” It's time for such initiatives.
It seems that it was a very, very long time ago: the President’s January message, in which he outlined the main national strategic goal - a demographic breakthrough. Putin then spoke of the highest national priority of “saving and increasing the people”, for the realization of which it is necessary to “get out of the demographic trap”. The country got into it after the collapse of the Soviet Union, plunging into the chaos of the 90s.
The message also indicated a number of social initiatives to support fertility, family and childhood. And all this did not go to nothing at all: within a week the State Duma adopted in the first reading a bill to expand the program of maternity capital. Then an unprecedented law was passed on providing hot meals to primary school students. Its implementation will begin on September 1. The process has begun.
But then came the well-known coronavirus invasion, after which one could expect the freezing of the entire intended social landmark on demography. Instead, it was the social that was elevated to the category of highest priority. This agenda was quickly worked out by the legislator on the principle of almost instant response: the president outlines the areas of work, formulates initiatives, and the deputy corps, in cooperation with the government, transfers it into the format of the law.
The law signed by the president on taking urgent measures to ensure the sustainable development of the economy and prevent the consequences of the spread of coronavirus is extremely important. One of the provisions of this law provides for an increase in benefits for children up to one and a half years for non-working citizens by half.
Vladimir Putin announced the need to raise the amount of benefits during the meeting on May 11. The increase in the package with other measures of additional support for citizens and businesses in connection with the coronavirus was adopted by the State Duma in the third reading on May 22. Then the speaker Vyacheslav Volodin called it "an extremely important decision." Now from June 1, the family will pay 6,752 rubles for each child under the age of one and a half years. Also, the maximum amount of childcare allowance increases from 6 thousand to 13 504 rubles.
It is also important that all these decisions focused on improving demography are clearly integrated into the strategy of the future of Russia.
Thus, the amendments to the Constitution of the country stipulate that "children are the most important priority of the state policy of Russia," and the state "creates conditions conducive to the comprehensive spiritual, moral, intellectual and physical development of children, the education of patriotism, citizenship and respect for elders in them." It is also said about ensuring the "priority of family education."
From all this it can be seen that the state has seriously taken up support for fertility and childhood, and no coronavirus is an obstacle here. And things are not comparable. Pandemic - a temporary test, a check of the systems and mechanisms of the state machine, a test for the stress tolerance of society. The main long-term guideline is on childhood in Russia, the very vector for the great work that the country has to do, including in the matter of new mastering itself. It is about building a generation, and through it, the future of the country.
It must be recalled that a nationwide economic recovery plan has now been formulated. This is not something post-coronavirus. Recovery must be understood in much broader terms - as the transformation of the country, its final overcoming of the decay inertia with which it was infected after the collapse of the USSR. When I fell into that very “demographic trap” with a stable and imposed perception of children as a burden.
The same President Putin noted that this nationwide plan is necessary for "structural changes in the economy, to achieve a new quality of growth." There, we recall, in addition to a large block of social and business support, we are talking about big construction, about the largest infrastructure investment projects: new bridges, roads, airports. It has already been stated that profile committees and fractions of the State Duma will make their proposals on this plan.
It must be assumed that this two-year plan is reconnaissance in battle. More will come next. But this requires creative people. That is why the country is being transformed, including into young Russia, childhood Russia. To the country of great creative work.
Now not only the architecture of this business is formulated and built, but all the conditions for its implementation are also legislatively prescribed. It so happened that, on the whole, the unified mechanism of the branches of the Russian government, debugged and tested in shock conditions, creates a powerful energy installation for a national breakthrough, to overcome all kinds of pits and traps.
For Russia, adapted and resistant to all kinds of shocks and temptations, including a new restructuring. Russia for people. This is a civilizational philosophy, which just develops from caring for a person - including those same child allowances that cease to be a formality. So the relationship of the state and a specific person from birth is built in a line of kinship.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the publisher.