YEREVAN, JANUARY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. This year 26 bln 429 mln drams (nearly 72.4 mln USD) will be allocated from the state budget for family benefit payments against 24 bln 337 mln in 2006. As Astghik Minasian, Head of Social Assistance Department of RA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, reported at the January 26 press conference, in 2007 the average family benefit will amount to 17 thousand drams (in 2006 15 thousand drams). In her words, it is expected that 125 thousand 400 families will be included in family benefit system this year. And 130 thousand out of 182 thousand families registered in family security estimation system received family benefits in 2006. Deputy Minister Artsvik Minasian said that for receiving family benefits the limit unit of family security in 2007 will remain the same, 33.00. In her words, the basic part of family benefit will amount to 7500 drams (in 2006 700 drams) for families not having members aged 18 and below and 7000 drams for those having members aged 18 and below (in 2006 7000 drams). A.Minasian said that according to the change made in the order of estimation of family security, more favorable coefficient was established for lone pensioners. Thus, formerly the latters were left out of the system due to rise of pension, while in 2007 even in case of rise of average pension by 2500 drams they will continue to receive benefits. A.Minasian also reported that the families registered in the system, in which third child or child following the third will be born, starting January 1 2007, will receive one-off benefit amounting to 200 thousand drams.

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