MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. It is still too early to speak about a reversal of birth rate trends in Russia, but an increase in the indicator is being observed in 26 regions, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova has announced.
"In 26 regions, an increase in the birth rate is being observed. The leaders are the Magadan Region, Sevastopol, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Mordovia, and the Leningrad and Kaliningrad Regions. Moreover, when I talk about an increase in the birth rate, it means these regions demonstrated growth even from the low numbers they previously had. Some regions have reversed the negative trend of declining birth rates," she said at the final meeting of the Council under the Russian Government on Trusteeship in the Social Sphere.
Golikova clarified that this year also saw the rollout of a simplified procedure for providing a unified allowance, the beneficial impact of which has already been felt by 5 million families and 9.6 million children, as well as more than 140,000 pregnant women. Maternity benefits for full-time female students have been received by 3,500 young women as of mid-December.
Furthermore, in 41 regions with a low total fertility rate, thanks to new measures from the government-approved "demographic menu," over 200,000 families have already been covered. "Of course, it is still too early to talk about a reversal of birth rate trends, but we understand that this is not a quick process. We must work tirelessly on this, and then, of course, the results will speak for themselves," she concluded.