Izvestia: "Putin explained who is entitled to third child benefit"
Parents in regions with negative demographic trends to receive 7,000 roubles a month.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held a meeting on demographic issues in Naberezhnye Chelny. He explained his recent initiative on paying benefits to parents for a third child in the regions with an attempt to counter a negative demographic trend. Putin emphasized that these payments must be based on regional rather than ethnic principles.
Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia that the prime minister was primarily referring to regions with negative demographic trends over several years.
"It is pointless to establish an objective in these regions. Similar benefits will be paid in regions with positive trends but not until later," Peskov explained.
To sum up, parents in two thirds of Russia's regions are entitled to benefits. Putin said at the meeting that almost a third of all regions are showing a natural population increase.
He explained that the programme to support the birth of a third child will be carried out in several stages. Initial benefits will be paid in regions with disastrous demographic records – central Russia, in the northwest, some regions in the Volga area (Mari El and Mordovia) and the Far East. Later, the benefit will be offered in regions with better demographic trends.
During the first stage of the programme, the federal budget will pay 90% of the cost, and during the second stage, half of the payment will be the region's responsibility. Putin added that the financially stable regions should find the resources to increase these benefits.
The government has concluded that from now on, demographic indicators will be the highest priority in evaluating the performance of the regional authorities. Putin instructed his colleagues to develop standards for this policy for the local administrations.
"The successful resolution of our demographic objectives depends on the regional administrations, on their striving to create conditions that will allow people to improve their living standards and to pursue self-realisation," Putin said, while clarifying who is to blame for the declining population.
He noted that if the authorities do not take any action to address the demographic problem, our population will shrink to 107 million by 2050. We must strive to increase the population to 154 million. However, this goal is likely out of reach with the current birthrate of 1.6 children per woman.
"Multi-child families should be highly valued, while families with two or three children should become the preferred social norm," Putin summed up.
Anastasia Novikova
