In Armenia, the minimum rate for the state pension will be increased  for 18 thousand pensioners

ArmInfo.In Armenia, the minimum rate for the state pension is raised for18 thousand  pensioners. National Assembly discusses the draft of amendments to  the law "On State Pensions.

According to the RA Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Smbat  Sainyan, the Armenian government proposes to introduce a new  instrument in the state pension system - the minimum pension.  "This  tool will make it possible to make a more targeted policy with regard  to pensioners receiving a low pension", noted Smbat Sainyan.

It is proposed, in particular, from January 1, 2019 to raise the  minimum state pension rate from 16 thousand to 25.5 thousand drams.  About 800 million drams will be allocated from the state budget to  solve the task.  Relevant funds are provided for by the program of  medium-term expenditures of Armenia for 2019-2021.  In this case, the  bill will have retroactive effect, and after its entry into force  will be recalculated for the previous months. Thus, according to the  deputy minister, an attempt will be made to overcome extreme (food)  poverty among pensioners. "

It should be noted that according to the data of December 2017, in  2016, the threshold of food poverty in Armenia was 23,313 drams. As  expected, in 2019, taking into account the 3% annual inflation, the  figure will reach 25,500 drams.

According to the document, as of June 1, 2019, the number of  pensioners will be 497,394, of which the labor pension will receive  463.069 people, 32.420 pension recipients in the line of law  enforcement agencies and 1,905 military retirees.

As of November 2017, according to the data of the Social Security  Service of the Ministry of Social Affairs of Armenia, 524 thousand  485 pensioners are registered in the Republic of Armenia, of which  460 thousand receive a retirement pension (basic pension is 16  thousand drams, plus allowances for seniority - 800 drams for the  first 10 years and 500 for the next) and 64 thousand - insurance  old-age pension of 16 thousand drams.

The document will be adopted in the first reading at the meeting of  the parliament on March 17.