The Belarusian authorities declare that the country is going through the process of implementation of a new national model of social support to the population. Its major goal is to ensure sustainable improvement of the living standards of the socially insecure groups of people and its main features are the goal-oriented programmatic character, addressed support and inter-institutional cooperation while rendering assistance.

Social support for the lonely, older people, people with disabilities, veterans is implemented inter alia via state social programmes: “Complex programme on improvement of the system of social protection of the incapable elderly population in Belarus up to 2010”, “Republican complex programme on social support for old people, veterans and victims suffered the consequences of wars (for 2006 – 2010)”, “The State programme on prevention of physical disabilities and rehabilitation of handicapped for 2006 – 2010” and “The State programme on barrier-free environment for physically weak persons for 2007 – 2010”.

Who needs the state social support in the first place?

There is no definition of a ‘poverty line’ in Belarus. There are overall 44 state social standards in the country, aiming at satisfying the most crucial needs of an individual. The majority of legal norms and regulations included in the system of standards are the state obligations vis-a-vis various groups of population which should be implemented at the state’s cost. A socially oriented state has an obligation to take care of its least protected citizens.

First of all it concerns handicapped. In the course of the past five years the number of handicapped people increased by more than 30 thousand persons and reached 510 thousand (including over 28 thousand handicapped children). The ratio of the handicapped people in the society is 5.2 %. The average size of their pensions is 322 thousand Belarusian rubles.

Apart from handicapped, social protection and state support is needed by almost 2.5 million people more: that includes pensioners by age (almost 2 million people), 130 thousand children under the age of 18 with deviations in psychological and physical development, 280 thousand babies (under the age of 3), pregnant women, young mothers… Therefore, almost one fourth of the Belarusian population needs some sort of state support.

Today, the average size of the working pension is 349 thousand Belarusian rubles (it comprises 122% of the minimal consumer budget), the size of the social pension is 138 thousand. Payments for children under the age of 3 constitute 80% of the minimal consumer budget (i.e. 149 thousand Belarusian rubles).

Benefits rearranged or more precise, abolished

Nowadays a so-called reform of the social policy is taking place: for instance, in the area of education, the number of opportunities to receive higher education on students’ own cost has long time surpassed the number of education opportunities paid for from the state budget. The volume of the paid services in the area of health and rehabilitation services is increasing. Vacation time at work is being reduced and payments for additional days-off are becoming an obligation of the employers. And the most significant strike on the least protected groups of population became the Law on “State social benefits”, which provided for reorganization of all benefits, in reality, however, their abolishment.

The 50% discount of the price of a ticket in the public transport for all groups of population was abolished, as well as free of charge drugs for the new-born babies and the 50 % discount on drugs for handicapped, veterans, Chernobyl-affected families, blood donors and the elderly. The previously exited benefits were replaced with the Presidential Edict “On certain measures of the state support to the population”. Now one may count on targeted support, in case the family income per person is not higher than the minimal consumer budget (today it is around 210 thousand Belarusian rubles). However in order to receive this support, one has to collect tonnes of documents and certificates. As of 1 June 2008 around 70 thousand people applied for the addressed support from the state and 177 thousand people received support with overall cost 29.4 billion Belarusian rubles.

The Ministry of Finances calculated that the abolishment of the existed benefits would allow releasing around 160 billion Belarusian rubles which would then be rearranged according to the addressed needs. However the amount allocated for addressed support in the 2008 state budget constituted 60 billion Belarusian rubles only.

Ludmila Korsak