Cards for the poor will be introduced on food who will receive it. Food ration cards in Russia: reasons and goals of introduction
Next year, Russia will start operating a system of targeted assistance for 16 million poor - food ration cards. MOSLENTA found out who will receive them and how they can be used.
For the past 10 years, the country has been talking about food ration cards, but they will be introduced only next year. The Ministry of Industry and Trade intends to monthly transfer money to people whose income is below the subsistence level to buy food. In theory, this should solve the problem of malnutrition of low-income people. They will have to go through a special commission that will check their income. The funds on the card can be spent in stores on perishable domestic products (for example, meat, milk, vegetables, and so on). If the entire amount is not spent within a month, the money burns out. The next step in targeted assistance will be the Free Food Program for the Poor, due by 2020.
In mid-September, the Ministry of Industry and Trade sent its proposals on this issue to the government. According to Rosstat data for 2014, 16 million people in the country have incomes below the subsistence level - this is 11.2 percent of the total population. In the first half of 2015, this figure was already 15.1 percent. Last year living wage equaled 8050 rubles in the Central Federal District.
Income deficit - the amount that is needed for the incomes of the poor to coincide with the subsistence level - 478.8 billion rubles across the country.
A source in the Ministry of Industry and Trade explains: “Considering that food accounts for half of consumer basket, then the basic budget in 2014 for grocery cards could be 240 billion rubles. " The amount of payments will depend on the region in which people live. For example, in the United States in 2013, $ 76.4 billion was spent on the program for 47.6 million Americans, that is, $ 133 for food each month.
The proposal of the Ministry of Industry and Trade does not yet describe in detail the entire mechanism of the program. For example, it is unclear how stores and food producers will be selected, how the entire system will be protected from fraudsters, and whether it is going to take into account the inflation factor.
The innovation is very relevant - during 2014-2015, against the background of the crisis, regional budgets reduced the amount of support for the poor. For example, in the capital, funding for the profile program has decreased by 2.5 times - from 839 billion in 2013 to 328 billion rubles in 2015.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has expectations that the program will be self-sustaining due to additional tax revenues to the budget from grocery chains and manufacturers. In addition, through an increase in gross domestic product and entrepreneurial activity.
“The idea of targeted assistance arose against the background of budget cuts, that is, we will no longer give everyone the same amount of money, but we will identify those in need and individually approach this issue,” explains the head of the research laboratory. pension systems and up-to-date forecasting social sphere Institute for Social Analysis and Forecasting, RANEPA Elena Grishina. She clarifies that at the stage of the experiment on the introduction of grocery cards in a number of regions, payments in them were different.
Since 2013, Moscow has been addressing the provision of one-time financial assistance to people in dire need who find themselves in a difficult life situation, when, for example, an apartment burned down or the only breadwinner died. The family could turn to a social assistance center, where specialists studied the facts and checked their income.
After that, those in need received 500 rubles on the Muscovite's social card, which could be used to buy groceries in stores such as Pyaterochka and Dixie. One of the employees of X5 Retail Group (Pyaterochka, Perekrestok and Karusel chains) clarified that in those years the company independently supported socially weakened segments of customers. For example, until 13:00 I made a discount for pensioners, as well as on a Muscovite's social card - 5 percent.
In 2014, the Department of Social Protection spent 184.2 million rubles on similar assistance to 368.5 thousand people. In 2015, the size of one-time payments increased to 1 thousand rubles. The press secretary of the department, Anna Shapovalova, clarified that the main approach in the work of the department now is targeting.
The poverty level in the capital remains virtually unchanged, although this indicator is lower than in the country - 9.6 percent in 2014, 9.7 percent in 2013, according to data on the website of the department of social protection. It turns out, it comes about 1.5 million people. The living wage in the city last year was 12,180 rubles.
The income deficit of 1 person per month was 1,798.5 rubles, of which about 900 rubles were spent on food. It turns out that the monthly budget for food cards for the capital could be 1.3 billion rubles, a year - 16.2 billion rubles.
Several departments provide various types of assistance to the needy in the capital, but the specialized program "Social support in the city of Moscow for 2012-2016" is on the shoulders of the department of social support. And its funding is gradually decreasing: 839 billion rubles in 2013, 311 billion rubles in 2014 and 328 billion rubles this year.
In 2014 and at the beginning of 2015, the real money income of the population decreased. In annual terms, this happened for the first time since 2000, write specialists from the Institute of Social Analysis and Forecasting. Russian Academy of the national economy and civil service under the President of the Russian Federation in his research. Moreover, there was an increase in prices, including for food products and medicines, which led to a significant decrease in purchasing power. The only type of income that is indexed for inflation in 2014 is pensions. In modern economic conditions the state is forced to apply the principle of targeting with the support of citizens.
Reading time ≈ 4 minutes
Food coupons were known back in the 1920s, when it was a very difficult time and people received free food in this way. Then cards were provided for soap products, foodstuffs, industrial goods, and so on.
What will happen to grocery cards in 2019? What's the latest news?
What are grocery cards (coupons)
A card for free products is a special document confirming the rights of a certain person to receive a product or article on the basis of a benefit or on the basis of a deficit in the country.
There are food ration cards in other states as well. Grocery cards can be called state aid. There are similar food coupons in Ryazan and in the Ryazan region. The Care program offers citizens benefits for domestic services, purchase of medicines, chemical goods and food.
Food coupons in the USSRFood coupons in the United States, for example, have existed since the 1940s and are still in demand today. About 13% of people use such coupons. A person receives an amount determined by the state on an individual plastic card and can dispose of it for the purchase of food.
Moscow has also introduced a special financial aid low-income families, where payment for electronic certificates totals 197 thousand rubles.
Product map
Latest news in 2019
Food certificates (grocery stamps) should start working in 2019.
The meaning of food stamps will be as follows:
- assistance to poor citizens;
- support for domestic goods;
- decrease in inflation;
- positive economic impact to the country.
The introduction of ration cards should save the state from social collapse. According to the World Bank, in 2015 there was a significant increase in inflation, in Russia the number of poor citizens increased by 3 million.
The number of residents with less income in 2018 amounted to 23 million people.
Food cards for the poor
In 2018, only a few categories of citizens have earnings equal to the subsistence level:
- working citizens receive 11,160 rubles;
- people of retirement age receive 8469 rubles;
- children receive 10,181 rubles.
Almost 16 million people will receive food ration cards. This support will extend to all family members who qualify for the certificate. Citizens eligible for the certificate will be able to improve economic indicators in the country and involve people in the choice of products Russian production... It can be concluded that certificates are beneficial to both parties.
Food coupons
How the food certificate will work
Budget allocations in 2019 will amount to about 240-320 billion rubles. and will be aimed at supporting the demand of citizens for food. So far, there are plans to allocate funds for 1 food voucher in the amount of 10 thousand rubles.
The program provides for the issuance of grocery cards (coupons) in 2019 in the form of crediting points to a special social account. Each participant will be issued a food stall in the form of plastic card... Points will be credited for each food certificate, approximately 27 points will fall on 1 day. It will not be possible to accumulate or transfer to money, as unused points will be constantly reset to zero.
Participants social program will not be able to accumulate "reserves" of points on the card, thus they will rush to spend points on perishable products only of domestic production. This is convenient because the chain of production and consumption in Russia will improve, and people will be able to spend their money as they want.
Social the program can accumulate points
The list of products purchased for an electronic certificate has already been approved by the Ministry of Health. The list includes only Russian-made food products, namely:
- all grocery products;
- bread products, flour of all sorts;
- dairy products;
- vegetables fruits;
- chicken eggs, meat, fish.
Important! The purchase of cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, canned food or frozen products with grocery cards in 2019 will not be possible.
As in the program “ maternity capital»Withdrawing funds is not provided for and leads to criminal liability. Funds from the state will go to Mir. This is done in order to eliminate all types of fraud that are so widespread today.
Food ration cards for the poor will come into use in 2018 - you can be 99% sure of that. The idea of their distribution was proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade for implementation back in the year, but now the head of the Ministry, D. Manturov, speaks of the appearance of food ration cards as a fait accompli. The government was prompted to introduce such a social program for low-income citizens by an unfavorable economic situation in the country.
Who is eligible to qualify for the benefit?
The statistics compiled by the Ministry of Social Protection in 2018 are horrifying: 22 million people (!) Are below the poverty line in Russia (!) general population 147 million people! At the same time, the Ministry of Social Protection clarifies that it counted only those people who submitted the relevant documents, recognizing themselves as poor - in fact, the figure may turn out to be much more impressive. 15% of the population of Russia (every seventh) are counting coins in their wallet, trying to scrape together a loaf of bread.
It is for low-income citizens that food ration cards are introduced in Russia. Those who will be able to get a food ration card include people with a monthly income that does not exceed the subsistence level. The size of the subsistence minimum differs depending on the region - for example, in Moscow its size is 15307 rubles.
An important clarification: the Ministry of Industry and Trade is going to issue food ration cards only to those citizens who find themselves below the poverty line due to external circumstances and can prove it. The state will definitely not support parasites who are able to work but do not want to. Russians who hide their real income and only pretend to be poor - freelancers, entrepreneurs, owners of subsidiary farms - should not rely on help either.
How can a citizen know if he can take part in the food ration card program? To do this, he needs to do some simple calculations.
Add up all the income his family has received in the last 3 months. Benefits, subsidies, scholarships also need to be considered.
Divide the resulting amount by 3 - display the arithmetic mean.
Divide the result by the number of family members (including children and retirees).
If the final value is below the subsistence level, you can safely apply for a food ration card for the poor in 2018.
What documents are needed to obtain a grocery card, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has not yet specified. It is known that control over the distribution of cards will be the responsibility of the social security authorities - a poor citizen should not have a question where to get a food card, because he is probably familiar with the address of the local social security department. To apply for a benefit, you will have to not only bring binding papers, but also to pass an interview - a kind of test for lice. Anyone who receives a food ration card in Russia will be obliged to make every possible effort to find a job (if there is none) - in order to avoid the spread of parasitism.
It is expected that the list of citizens eligible for the benefit will be revised every 6 months. A poor citizen will have to carry documents confirming his preferential status every six months in social security.
What can you buy?
The holder of a food card, alas, will not be able to purchase with its help any products that will catch the eye - he will only have access to that, without which the daily diet of a Russian cannot be imagined. The Ministry of Industry and Trade promises to present the exact list of available products very soon - now it is known for certain that it will include:
Salt, sugar, spices.
Vegetables, fruits, dried fruits.
In addition, social products include pet food, hygiene products (soap, washing powder etc.), seeds and seedlings.
The exemption will not apply to alcohol and cigarettes. The Ministry of Industry and Trade categorically declares that it is not going to support the bad habits of Russians.
Cardholders will also not be able to spend concessional funds on surplus food - for example, candy. A poor citizen who wants to please his child with sweets will have to spend his own money on it. The most controversial position so far is drugs - the Ministry of Industry and Trade has not decided whether it is worth adding them to the list of social products.
Those Russians who will be issued food ration cards should pay attention to one more limitation: only Russian products will be able to pay with preferential funds. Due to this restriction, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will try to catch up with the second hare - namely, to support domestic producers and give them an advantage in competition with importers.
Ballroom payment system - what is it?
Food certificates will be issued in payment system Peace. The state will transfer to cards not rubles at all, but bonus points- monthly in the amount equivalent to 1200 or 1400 rubles. A food certificate holder will have to put up with a number of restrictions.
Points cannot be accumulated. If by the end of the month the needy citizen does not spend the bonus rubles in full, the rest of the amount will burn out.
Points cannot be cashed. It will be possible to pay with bonus rubles only in stores participating in the state program. It is expected that from 2018 the cards will be accepted in some canteens and cafes.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade clarifies that cardholders will be able to deposit to bonus accounts and personal funds. Why should poor citizens replenish food ration cards with their own money? At least for the following reason: the state promises that a citizen will be able to receive from 30% to 50% of the replenished amount every month - this is a pretty solid profit. But what will happen to personal funds after a month and whether they will burn out along with bonus rubles, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, apparently, has not yet decided itself.
Experience of the USSR and foreign countries
Distributing cards to the poor is not at all an innovative solution for a crisis economy. We can say that food ration cards are returning to Russia - a similar system was already in place in the USSR.
Food ration cards appeared in the USSR together with the USSR itself - in 1917. The voucher payment system was introduced periodically, but this was not at all connected with the general poverty of Russians (as it is now), but with constant supply crises. Many of the products in the Soviet Union were recognized as scarce - they could only be obtained with a special coupon and only in limited quantities (to avoid speculation). The coupon system in the USSR reached its peak in the period 1988 - 1991, when citizens could not purchase either sugar or sunflower oil. Since 1992, food certificates have been disappearing due to the expansion of free trade.
But the voucher system is by no means a relic of the past. Nowadays, the practice of providing food certificates to low-income citizens is used all over the world - including in developed countries.
In the United States, low-income citizens have been paying with food stamps for 50 years now, receiving about $ 115 per person a month. Americans consider such a system fair and are not going to abandon it.
In the UK, the coupon system was introduced after World War II due to food shortages. The program was resumed in 2014.
In Cuba, food cards have been issued to the poor for over 50 years, but now the ration system on Liberty Island is on its way. Interestingly, cigarettes were excluded from the list of concessional goods in Cuba only in 2018.
Food certificates have been implemented in modern Russia- at the regional level. For example, in 2013, the Kirov region issued 3 thousand food cards for large families.
Both market experts and ordinary citizens for the most part have a positive attitude to the idea of reviving the system of food ration cards for pensioners and other citizens in need of material support in Russia. This was confirmed by a poll organized by VTsIOM: almost 80% of respondents were in favor. But if the idea of introducing an analogue of the coupon system into the economy is so good, no matter how you look at it, why is the Ministry of Industry and Trade delaying its implementation? The answer to this question is simple: the state cannot yet find enough money to bring the idea to life. According to preliminary estimates, it will take almost 70 billion rubles - to find such an amount in a country with a crisis economy, alas, is extremely problematic.
Many Russians are now worried about when exactly food cards will be introduced both for pensioners and for other unprotected segments of the population. This article is devoted to this topic.
It is worth noting, first of all, although the exact date of the introduction of the considered program of assistance to socially vulnerable groups cannot yet be named - it can be unequivocally stated that it will start working already this year.
The Russians will be issued food certificates, for which the state will award a certain number of points every month. They, in turn, are supposed to be spent on different products, if necessary.
In fact, this will be the usual electronic card indistinguishable from banking.
You should know that the state authorities have made it clear that targeted food aid will be introduced in Russia without fail. Arkady Dvorkovich was assigned to deal with this issue. Moreover, it is noted that about 140 billion rubles will be allocated from the budget for the mentioned program. The next year, the amount will increase significantly and will amount to more than 214.
Who will be given the cards
Last year, the Ministry of Industry and Trade indicated that such a measure would significantly simplify life for many Russians in need. It was reported that a certain number of points will be credited to the issued card. However, they will be allowed to spend only on Russian food products. For this reason, many experts agree that this measure, among other things, will in a certain way contribute to the development of both trade and the agricultural sector.
It is now clearly known that the card will be provided to all citizens whose income is less than the subsistence level. In different regions of the country, this value is somewhat different:
- Moscow - 10.96 thousand;
- Saratov - 8.17;
- St. Petersburg - 10.45;
- Samara - 10.64;
- Tula region - 9.7.
The card will be regularly replenished with points, overall size aid will be converted into rubles - 1.4 thousand. It is necessary to spend these funds within a month, since all unused bonuses then expire.
The following categories of citizens have the right to count on a food certificate:
- pensioners;
- disabled people;
- families with many children, etc.
The main difficulty is to separate the really needy people from those who simply work unofficially, that is, with shadow income.
To get a card, you will need to collect a number of documents and submit them to the social security authorities at the place of residence.
What you can spend points on
Currently, it is assumed that the consumer will receive the right to purchase the following types of food products for points:
- meat products;
- fish;
- fruits and vegetables;
- eggs.
In addition, it is likely that they will also sell:
- seeds and seedlings of fruit trees for summer residents;
- household chemicals;
- some personal hygiene items.
As noted earlier, it will be allowed to purchase exclusively Russian products. Moreover, it will not work to spend the existing bonuses, for example, on alcohol or cigarettes. You can pay with a card at any store connected to a special payment system.
How are things currently?
In general, electronic certificates were originally intended to be introduced into use last year, but then, due to a serious budget deficit, the introduction of such a practice was postponed to the current one.
Moreover, it is assumed that already from 2019, many Russians with low incomes will be able to eat free of charge in canteens operating at:
- organizations;
- enterprises.
Other institutions will be able to join this program if they wish. Catering... As noted in the government, already now the entire list of measures has been practically agreed with all the departments involved. The hitch is only for the Ministry of Finance.
Foreign experience
In the minds of people who grew up during the Soviet Union, any food ration cards are always associated with difficult stages in the life of the state. They were introduced, in particular:
- after the October Revolution;
- during the Great Patriotic War;
- during the period of perestroika.
But in fact, this kind of system exists in many, including quite prosperous, countries:
- Cuba;
- UK etc.
The main task of such programs is to provide citizens in need with a certain minimum of food security and no more.
Since 2015, this kind of targeted assistance in a test format is also valid in some Russian regions... In particular, we are talking about St. Petersburg and Saratov. In the latter city, the regional consumer union was in charge of the process.
This practice will significantly improve the diet of low-income citizens who are unable to provide themselves with normal nutritious food. In Russia as a whole, the number of the poor has reached 20 million. For this reason this program is a very popular measure.
Attention! Within the framework of our website, you have a unique opportunity to get a free consultation of a professional lawyer. All you need to do is write your question in the form below.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has begun the practical implementation of the idea of introducing product cards. In June, the department announced a competition for the preparation of analytical materials and justifications for the formation of targeted food assistance to those in need. The tender was won by Optconsult, offering to conduct a study for 4.5 million rubles. The Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that analytical data should be received by the ministry by September, after which officials will start developing the concept of targeted food aid. As the General Director of Optconsult Dmitry Melnikov told Izvestia, the Ministry of Industry and Trade intends to propose to change the approach to determining those in need of food assistance and provide it only to those whose incomes do not exceed the subsistence level (regardless of the social category of the citizen - pensioner, disabled person, etc.) ...
As the main form of targeted food assistance, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will be offered, according to Melnikov, a transfer to the card Money from the budget, for which the poor will be able to purchase food. Can be used for accruals social cards, already operating in the region, or special bank cards "introduced for the implementation of the program of targeted assistance with the participation of one of the banks of the Russian Federation."
In the event of an unstable situation on the market, hyperinflation or a shortage of certain necessary products in the country, a mechanism should be provided for receiving food assistance in kind, when a citizen can receive a set of products directly with a card, '' Melnikov noted.
He said that the experts intend to propose a new methodology for identifying those in need.
Now social support is provided to certain categories of citizens: pensioners, veterans, large families, and so on. If you look at each category, they have citizens with different levels of per capita money income. It would be fair to provide assistance from the point of view of a living wage, - says Melnikov.
According to him, in the system being developed, it is proposed to issue food cards to those families in which the average per capita income per family member is less than the subsistence level.
From the point of view of guidelines, the amount transferred to a social or special bank card should increase income to the level of the subsistence level. We will strive for this, but we should proceed from the real possibilities of the budget, - explains Melnikov.
He said that he also considers it necessary to finance food aid from both the regional and federal budget, giving the program federal status.
Melnikov stressed that the analytical materials of Optconsult, which are being prepared for the Ministry of Industry and Trade, will be of a recommendatory nature.
So far, these are only suggestions. Proposals on which our customer (Ministry of Industry and Trade) must express its opinion. The final decision is up to the Ministry of Industry and Trade and other departments, - said Melnikov.
Recall that the proposal to introduce food cards in Russia was contained in the report of the Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov to the government meeting in October 2014. The official referred to the experience of the United States, where a similar program is already working. According to it, citizens who are listed in social services as the poor are entitled to receive special bank card... The state regularly transfers subsidies to it, which can only be spent on food.
Some regions already have food aid cards. They are issued, as a rule, to certain categories of the population, regardless of income. This is the situation, for example, in the Kirov region.
This is a pilot project, cards have been issued large families in a number of districts of the region. In the future, the program is planned to be extended to the entire region, - said the Ministry of Social Development of the Kirov region.
Director General of the Institute of Scientific and Public Expertise Sergei Rybalchenko said that in the United States, food cards are also issued depending on the income of citizens, and not their belonging to a particular social group.
In Russia, this approach will require a revision of certain provisions of the existing social policy. The state is unlikely to be able to provide for all the poor. First of all, it is important to provide for families with children - this is the largest category of the poor in the country, says Rybalchenko.
He noted that it would be logical to send the program of targeted food assistance to help local producers.
Now it is assumed that only domestic products can be bought with the cards. For a number of categories, it would be possible to narrow the choice down to local producers in order to support them, - Rybalchenko noted.
According to Rosstat, in 2014 11.2% of the population of Russia, or 16.1 million people, had incomes below the subsistence level. The subsistence minimum is determined separately for able-bodied population, for pensioners and for children. The amount is set by the regional authorities on a quarterly basis and varies greatly depending on the subject. For example, in Moscow the subsistence minimum is 14.3 thousand rubles (hereinafter - per capita), in the Yamalo-Nenets Okrug - 14,241 rubles, in the Sakhalin Region - 13,631 rubles, in Tyumen region- 9605 rubles, in the Perm Territory - 9292 rubles. In general, in Russia for the first quarter of 2015, the subsistence minimum amounted to 9662 rubles.
- With the help of such a criterion of social development as the successes of science and technology, it is possible to show the progressive nature of
- What tasks will be in ct?
- A beginner's guide to accountants: where to start learning accounting?
- A beginner's guide to accountants: where to start learning accounting?