It turned out that almost 40% of the country’s population receive assistance from the state

And this is not an “election story”

Vladimir Putin was told how many Russians receive assistance from the state in one form or another. These turned out to be almost 40% of the country’s population. However, this figure is not final, since certain categories did not appear in the report of the Minister of Labor Kotyakov. The president was assured that the increase in payments that happened in 2024 is not a pre-election story: an increase in state support for citizens is provided for in the three-year budget.

The main issue brought up at the next meeting of the president with members of the government was air transportation. But for obvious reasons they decided to consider it behind closed doors. And provide the general public with a report on the financial support that the state provides to its citizens. Looking at the certificate, the president recalled that in 2024 there have already been two waves of increased payments. Since January 1, the size of the unified child benefit and insurance pensions for non-working pensioners has increased. And from February 1, another 40 payments were indexed. “Did all this really work? Have the payments arrived? – Putin asked the Minister of Labor and Social Protection Anton Kotyakov.

The official confirmed that they could not refuse: all obligations, including indexation, are included in the budget. And not only this year, but also in the next three years. Since January 1, insurance pensions have increased for 31 million non-working pensioners. The increase was 7.5%, and the average pension reached 23.4 thousand rubles. As for the single benefit, 11 million children and more than 400 thousand pregnant women now receive it. Kotyakov clarified that 75% of recipients receive the maximum payment, which again is an average of 14.9 thousand rubles. In total, the first wave covered at least 32.5 million people.

On February 1, the next wave of indexation took place according to the level of actual inflation, which amounted to 7.4%. It affected more than 20 million people, as it applies to 40 different support measures: maternity capital, one-time benefit for the birth of a child, monthly child care payments, monetary compensation for veterans and disabled people, unemployment benefits, etc. Funds, Kotyakov assured, began arriving in accounts on February 3. He recalled that maternity capital for the first-born was increased to 630 thousand rubles, and for the second child – to 833 thousand rubles. At the same time, the payment is indexed “not only for those who give birth this year,” but also for those who gave birth earlier, but did not spend everything. In this case, the increase will affect the balance. “The coverage of support measures for children has increased 10 times over 20 years,” Kotyakov sent an important message to the electorate.

The increase in the minimum wage and real wages (according to the Ministry of Labor, by 7.7%) had a positive impact on insurance payments. In particular, the maximum amount of maternity benefits in 2024 will be 565 thousand rubles. versus 383 thousand in 2023. And the amount of payments for child care up to 1.5 years is 49 thousand rubles. per month instead of 33.2 thousand. Kotyakov recalled that these payments depend on the mother’s salary. However, if a woman decides to go to work before the child is 1.5 years old, her benefit will remain in any case.

The maximum amount of unemployment benefits, in turn, increased to 13.7 thousand rubles, and from now on it is planned to be indexed annually. However, there are no problems with employment in the country: the Russian economy, especially industry, is experiencing a shortage of personnel. Kotyakov said that last year the number of employed people increased by 1.6 million people. The employment service purposefully selected 147 thousand new workers for defense industry enterprises. The minister recalled that a separate program is in place for the employment of veterans of the Northern Military District (if for some reason they do not want or cannot return to the jobs they retain). In this way, 13.8 thousand demobilized soldiers were employed. The effectiveness of the program, according to his estimates, reaches 80%.

After listening to this and other reports from officials, Vladimir Putin decided to say a few words on the main topic of the meeting. He noted the growth in traffic on domestic routes and asked to talk about the prospects for the development of air transport. “Only a few countries in the world are capable of producing a line of modern aircraft, and Russia is among them,” he emphasized. According to the president, new Russian airliners must meet all requirements for quality, comfort and flight safety, and their transfer to airlines must be carried out within the agreed time frame. Putin also drew attention to pricing. “It is important not to allow ticket prices to rise excessively. This issue should be a priority for both carriers and the Ministry of Transport,” he emphasized, anticipating a discussion behind closed doors.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29212 dated February 8, 2024

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