Members of the Federation Council and deputies of the Liberal Democratic Party have drawn up a bill “On a certificate for a newborn.” It can be spent on essential goods, report “Izvestia” in reference to the document.
According to the parliamentarians, families whose income is below two regional subsistence levels, especially student families, will be able to apply for a new type of state aid.
In 2023, the amount of the one-time allowance for the birth of a child is 22,909 rubles, and this amount, according to the deputies, is not enough to buy things for a newborn. The authors of the bill pointed out that in Moscow, for example, families receive a gift box “Our Treasure” or 20,000 rubles in exchange.
“The absence of such assistance for the birth of a child in other poorer regions causes people to feel a sense of social injustice and resentment,” the parliamentarians explained.
The bill stipulates that the certificate must be at least two regional subsistence levels per capita, which is about 30,000 rubles.
The Chair of the State Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children Nina Ostanina, in turn, told Izvestia that not only low-income families, but all Russian families should count on a new measure state support. According to her, such a bill is important in the current unfavorable demographic situation, which continues to worsen every year.
“Of course they can tell us that the money for these purposes is not included in the budget. But it is an important step. The main thing is to have a consolidated desire to support it,” she explained.
Demographer Alexey Raksha previously spoke to RTVI about the demographic hole in Russia, the falling birth rate in Ukraine, and why maternity capital and preferential mortgages are the best programs in the world to improve demographics.
Georgy Ostapkovich, director of the Center for Market Research at the Institute for Statistical Research and Knowledge Economics at the National Research University’s Higher School of Economics, also backed the MPs’ proposal. According to him, if the new certificate covers the rate of inflation and rising prices, then “it will already be good, especially when it comes to low-income families.”
The head of the group of political experts, Konstantin Kalachev, added that the economic situation is always manifested in the growth of the birth rate, as citizens assess the level of social security. According to him, one can only welcome any measure aimed at supporting low-income families in the absence of income growth and a decline in GDP. The expert also wondered whether there would be funds for these purposes in the federal budget.
