The Ministry of Industry and Trade has made preliminary calculations of the program of targeted food assistance to poor citizens. It will be approximately 10 thousand rubles. per person per year, Minister of Industry and Trade Denis told reporters during the events of the Russian Retail Week.
“There are preliminary calculations that we made with colleagues, for the year it is somewhere around 10 thousand rubles,” Manturov said.
Earlier, the minister noted that the program of targeted assistance to the population through food certificates, which will be monthly credited to the Mir card, could be launched as early as the second half of 2018.
The minister explained that "the whole principle of the program is a monthly accrual using these funds within one month."
That is, a program participant will receive about 850 rubles on the card every month, which they can spend only on buying food and only during the calendar month.
After this period, the balance of funds under the program burns out, and the amount for the next month is credited to the card. “This will motivate people to spend money on food,” the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade is sure.
In the financial and economic bloc of the government, there is no unambiguous support for Manturov's proposal, a government official told Gazeta.Ru. First of all, I don't like the fact that the issue of existing allowances is not resolved and new small allowances are added for each individual address card offered by the Ministry of Industry and Trade for issue.
A possible solution could be the abolition of all allowances for categories of citizens and their replacement with a single allowance for poverty. “But politically, no one is ready for this,” says Gazeta.Ru's interlocutor.
The social function of the state is to help people who find themselves in a difficult financial situation. To do this, citizens in need are provided with subsidies and benefits, as well as cash payments and the issuance of essential items. The Moscow authorities tried to improve this mechanism and replaced the in-kind issuance of things and food with electronic certificates.
At the moment, social certificates are valid only in Moscow.
It is known that a significant part of the budget goes to the purchase of food. Assistance in acquiring them from the state turns out to be a serious material help for such families, allowing them to spend the saved money on other needs.
The program is implemented by regional social protection authorities and depends on the possibilities of the local budget. This may be the provision of food, the allocation of funds for their purchase, or the organization of free meals in educational, medical or social institutions.
However, practice shows the imperfection of such schemes. Provision of food does not always meet the needs of a particular family, and it can be difficult to verify the intended use of allocated funds. Therefore, for several years now, the possibility of transferring a certain amount to special cards with a limited possibility of their use has been discussed.
To date, such a program is fully operational only in Moscow. Its essence is that a fixed amount is transferred to the social cards of the residents of the capital every month. It is impossible to cash it out, since the balance of the card is calculated in points. They operate on the principle of gift cards. One point is equivalent to one Russian ruble. Thus, a person has the opportunity to determine his own diet, and not depend on the standard "food basket".
At the same time, misuse of allocated funds is excluded, since points can only be spent on products. However, the use of the card is not mandatory - if a person for some reason does not want to take advantage of this offer, he can still receive food in kind.
Who is issued a social certificate
At the moment, two conditions must be met in order to take advantage of the opportunity to receive food assistance:
- Have a Muscovite social card, to which funds will subsequently be transferred.
- Meet the criteria for a low-income family.
In Moscow, families where the average income per person is less than the subsistence level or exceeds it by no more than 50% can count on receiving social security for food. It is issued not for a person, but for a family. Thus, each family is only entitled to one food certificate.
How to receive
To obtain a social certificate, it will be necessary to prepare a package of documents according to the above list.
An application for receiving targeted assistance is submitted to the social service center at the place of residence. The following documents must be submitted along with the application:
- applicant's passport;
- birth certificate of the child (children);
- information on income for 12 months: certificates of salary, receipt of pensions, scholarships, alimony and other types of income, as well as subsidies for housing and communal services (if any);
- if the parents are unemployed, it is necessary to present work books and certificates from the employment center about payments or their absence;
- documents certifying that the applicant has benefits: a pension certificate, a certificate of disability, a certificate that the family has many children, a certificate of loss of a breadwinner, etc.;
- the applicant's social card, to which the electronic application will subsequently be linked;
- SNILS of the applicant.
Within 2 weeks, employees of the social protection department will consider and, in case of a positive decision, send the applicant a notice of crediting a certain denomination to the social card, which can be spent on the purchase of products. No additional activation of the card is required.
How to use points
The card cannot be used to pay for the purchase of alcohol and tobacco products!
There are no restrictions on spending points within the face value. They can be spent at one time, or used to pay for multiple purchases. But they accept a social card for payment only in partner stores of the program.
To date, these are the stores of the X5 Retail Group chain: Pyaterochka, Karusel and Perekrestok, as well as the Dixy chain. Thus, certificate holders are not tied to a specific point of issue of products, since these networks belong to the category of convenience stores.
According to statistics, more than 15% of Russian citizens have the right to apply for low-income status, that is, families whose average income is below the subsistence level. Based on these figures and in an effort to improve the standard of living of the population, the Government is implementing social programs of additional assistance. In particular, food packages for the poor will be provided, which include an extensive list of food products.
Legislative regulation of the issue
It has been planned to introduce such privileges for more than three years. But given that the practical implementation of new ideas requires a favorable financial environment, so far the issuance of food cards has not been carried out. Therefore, in 2020, it is possible that a social card for low-income citizens will begin to operate, giving the right to receive food for free or with significant discounts.
Table No. 1 "Legal regulation of the issue"
After the adoption of a federal law, local regulations begin to be developed to regulate the rules for the implementation of social policy within the subject of the Federation.
As for the timing of the provision of assistance, it is already known when food cards for the poor will be introduced. The implementation of the program will start from the middle of the current calendar year. But full-fledged activity in this area is expected only from the beginning of 2020. According to the adopted legal acts, the following principles for the implementation of social policy in this area have been established:
- production of individual cards with points, the number of which corresponds to 10,000 rubles;
- points will be awarded monthly in equal amounts;
- all funds not spent within a calendar month are canceled on the first day of the next;
- you can pay with points in the supermarket;
- the functions of debiting or transferring funds are not available - only purchase through a payment terminal;
- the card is valid for one year and the amount on it is not replenished;
- self-replenishment of the card with cash is allowed with the provision of 40% bonuses from the deposited funds.
Key Concepts
These cards will not be issued to the entire population. To apply for privileges, it is important to prove your unsatisfactory financial situation. Other conditions for the implementation of the program also need to be taken into account.
Table No. 2 "Key Concepts of the Food Benefit Program"
| concept | Definition |
| Living wage | Since January 2020, the following amount of the subsistence minimum has been established in Russia: 10 thousand 328 rubles. This is the income that should cover the main expenses of the average family. The amount is the minimum throughout Russia, but municipal authorities have the right to increase the amount of the subsistence minimum, based on the possibilities of the local budget |
| poor family | A married couple, tied by the knot, who received a certificate from the social insurance authorities confirming the assignment of preferential status. This takes into account the average per capita income of the family, which is calculated by summing up all the official income of family members. And then from the result, the amount of funds for each family member is displayed. |
| Meal ticket | Special coupons that can be issued in order to receive a consumer set. The provision of products is carried out within the approved list of goods |
Important! A coupon does not always guarantee free products. Discounts and promotions are available for certain categories of food units.
Who is eligible for the benefit
According to the approved documents, the following categories of the population have the right to receive benefits:
- low-income (married couples or individuals);
- citizens who have received a preferential status “” (assigned by social security authorities if there are three or more children dependent on their parents);
- unemployed citizens (mandatory registration of the person with the employment service);
- (a woman who raises children on her own if the father was deprived of paternity or renounced his rights in court).
In addition to the presence of these circumstances, you will have to confirm your earnings, for which:
- calculate the income of the family (relatives who live together and run a joint household, including parents, spouses and children, grandparents, aunts and uncles) for the past three months;
- divide the amount received among all family members (even those who do not work).
As for the types of income taken into account, they include: wages, interest on bank deposits, scholarships, remuneration for intellectual work, payments under a commercial lease of real estate, alimony, and.
List of products available for purchase
At the moment, the list of available products is still being drawn up and has not been finally provided. But the following rules are already known:
- all food products recommended for the daily human diet will be included in the accounting;
- the benefit cannot be spent on alcohol and smoking products;
- only domestic goods will be on the list;
- it is possible to purchase personal hygiene products, but only Russian-made;
- there is a chance special pet foods will be added to the list.
The final list of the food basket will be available by the beginning of summer, just before the start of the implementation of this program.
The procedure for issuing food cards for the poor
The amount of bonus points is not universal, but will depend on the region of provision, therefore, it is possible to initiate the issuance of food stamps for low-income citizens in 2020 only at the place of registration. To do this, you have to follow these steps:
- collection of a full package of documents confirming low income;
- sending the collected papers along with a handwritten application to the social security authorities at the place of residence;
- waiting until all documents are checked and a personal card is issued within 30 days;
- self-appeal to the department for a ready-made card.
The implementation of the program involves a phased approach, since the state budget does not have a sufficient supply of financial resources to simultaneously provide each beneficiary with a coveted card. But already from 2020, all applicants can count on receiving benefits.
It is planned that in 2018 food cards for the poor will finally come into use. Planning for the implementation of this idea has been under consideration since 2015, but now the Government is talking about such cards as a fait accompli.
Unfortunately, the main reason for the appearance of such a measure of state support was the unfavorable economic situation in the country. Part of the population of the Russian Federation is below the poverty line and needs additional funds to be spent on meeting the needs of such citizens.
According to 2016 statistics, food packages on cards may be required by approximately 15 percent of the population of the Russian Federation. Such poor citizens in 2018 may be given the opportunity to purchase a minimum amount of food at the expense of the state.
The number of persons who will receive such measures of state support include citizens who have incomes below the subsistence level.
Food cards will be issued only to those categories of citizens who are below the poverty line, and they have the opportunity to prove it. That is, parasites and freelancers who hide their income cannot count on receiving such a measure of state assistance.
Cards will be issued only to certain categories of citizens. To do this, the interested person needs to make a few simple calculations:
- Add up all the income that was received by all family members during the last 3 months. In this case, all benefits and scholarships must be taken into account.
- The resulting amount is divided by 3 to determine the average monthly earnings.
- The total amount must be divided by the total number of family members (children, pensioners are taken into account).
If the final number is below the subsistence level, then families with many children or pensioners with a minimum pension will be issued a food card.
The card will have points that can be spent on the purchase of a number of domestic essential goods.
How much coupons will be issued
To transfer funds, each poor citizen will be provided with special social cards, which will be credited with bonus points.
According to preliminary calculations, during the year, 10,000 rubles will be transferred to each such card, which can be spent on products for low-income citizens.
Cash in the amount of 850 to 1200 rubles will be accrued monthly. And after this period, the money will burn. That is, points cannot be transferred to the next month. It is believed that such a short time frame will encourage citizens to spend the accrual of funds specifically on essential products, and not save them in order to purchase something more expensive later.
Moreover, at the legislative level, a program of food products is defined, for which a poor citizen can spend these points.
What products are available
The owner of the product card will not be able to purchase everything he wants with the accrued points. According to the law, a poor citizen will be able to spend money only on products of domestic producers, and only on the things without which it is impossible to imagine the daily diet of an ordinary Russian.
Accurate product list, for the purchase of which ration cards are intended, is still in development. But it is known that poor citizens will be able to purchase free goods that make up the daily diet, which includes:
- Meat fish;
- Bakery products;
- Milk products;
- Spices, sugar, salt;
- Vegetables fruits.
The composition of this list is subject to change. In particular, in the near future, it is planned to add pet food and hygiene products to products intended for pensioners and other low-income categories of citizens.
Such certificates will not apply to the purchase of alcohol and cigarettes. The government says that they do not intend to support the habits that Russians have.
Moreover, the program provides that poor citizens will not be able to purchase surplus products with these points. For example, a person will not be able to purchase sweets for his child with these funds, they will have to pay for them from his own pocket.
The purchase of goods will be possible only in stores that cooperate with such a social program. It is planned that by the second half of 2018, citizens will have the opportunity to pay for visits to social canteens using such points.
How to get food stamps
Since the start of the program to support the poor has not yet taken place, the exact procedure for obtaining a food card in 2018 is still unknown. It is planned that the procedure for issuing such a food certificate for Russians will be put into effect only at the end of 2017 - beginning of 2018, as soon as the bill goes through the last changes and is finally brought into force.
It is clear that a grocery card can be issued only after the needy citizen can submit documents confirming the possibility of obtaining such a measure of state support.
The main document in this list is certificates confirming low incomes, confirming that family members really do not have enough money to reach the minimum subsistence level.
Documents will be accepted by the social protection authorities, so the interested citizen will need to contact the state institution located at the applicant's place of residence.
The exact date when food cards will be introduced is still unknown. It is planned that low-income citizens and pensioners can apply for cards and start using such a program at the end of 2017 or at the beginning of 2018. Therefore, experts advise to closely follow the news.
