Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree abolishing the monthly payments of 50 rubles for a child from one and a half to three years of age. The corresponding decree will enter into force on January 1, 2020. It is noted that those who begin to receive these benefits before the beginning of next year will retain the right to payments after the entry into force of the new norm.

Note that the document signed by Vladimir Putin recognizes the presidential decree of 1994, which provided for the payment of benefits (50 rubles) to working mothers, women soldiers, who are on maternity leave, as well as unemployed wives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergencies in remote garrisons and areas where there is no possibility of their employment.

More extensive support

Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans' Affairs, Yaroslav Nilov, in an interview with RT, explained that the payment of 50 rubles was no longer relevant.

“For many years, a measure of social support has been operating in Russia, which President Yeltsin determined by his decree - 50 rubles were paid monthly for each child aged from one and a half to three years. Of course, 50 rubles is a ridiculous amount, ”said Nilov.

As a result of discussions on this topic, new standards of support were introduced, but “taking into account the criteria of need”, the deputy noted.

“Now, if there are children in the family and the per capita income is below the two subsistence minimums established in the respective entity, then every month until the child reaches the age of three, the family will receive a child allowance in the amount of the subsistence minimum established for the child in the relevant entity” - he explained.

The corresponding law was signed in August 2019; it will enter into force on January 1, 2020. In contrast to the 1994 decree, which listed groups of citizens who could count on financial assistance, now the need to provide family support is determined by family income and a living wage in a particular region. In addition, the new rules apply at the birth of the first and second child. Media reported that the average size of the subsidy in the country will be about 10-11 thousand rubles.

“Since this norm was legislatively fixed, accordingly, the presidential decree that previously acted and determined the support measure of 50 rubles has lost its force,” concluded Nilov.

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“More targeted help”

Irina Volynets, Chairman of the National Parents' Committee, noted that the new approach to payments to needy families will be more targeted, and the subsidies received will be more significant.

“Help will now be targeted and will be intended for low-income families, which are considered families whose income per family member is two or less living wages. Of course, targeting assistance is a great blessing, especially since the amount that will be paid will really allow us to rely on raising money and feeding children, ”she explained to RT.

She also added that in her opinion, in the demographic policy “most of the measures should be precisely targeted”, since this is important both for the state and for the families themselves.

Earlier, Volynets, in an interview with RT, noted that the law on increasing monthly payments for the first or second child for needy families will stimulate the birth rate in the country.

“We need to strengthen these programs, deepen them and pay not only for the first and second children, but also for subsequent ones. As the president himself said, a large family should become fashionable in Russia. We believe that at least it should be the norm. For this, it is necessary to pay for all children, no matter how many there are, ”the chairman of the National Parents Committee emphasized.

In addition, in July 2019, Vladimir Putin signed the law on measures to support large families, which involves financial assistance to pay off mortgage debt. I can count on those families in which, after January 1, 2019, a third child and subsequent children appeared. As noted in the explanatory note to the document, this year about 30 thousand families can receive such assistance.

Such families will be allocated 450 thousand rubles from the federal budget. If the mortgage debt is already less than this amount, then the remaining funds will be used to pay interest.