MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. The Russian government approved the draft law on increasing the minimum wage from January 1, 2018, setting it in the amount of 9,489 rubles ($164.2), according to the Minister of Labor and Social Protection Maxim Topilin.

"The government approved the draft law on raising the mini minimum wage to the living wage of the able-bodied population of working age. The government approved a project, according to which, since January 1, 2018, the minimum wage will be set at 9,489 rubles ($164.2), which is exactly 85% of the living wage," Topilin said.

Earlier, speaking at a meeting with members of the government, President Vladimir Putin, proposed to raise the minimum wage to 85% of the subsistence level from January 1, 2018. Putin also proposed that the two indicators should become equal from January 1, 2019.

On June 19, 2000, Putin signed the law on the minimum wage, which, with changes, is still effective but was amended several times. Under the first version of this law, the minimum wage was raised to 132 rubles from July 1, 2000.

The amount for the calculation of taxes and penalties became known as the "basic" and was rounded to 100 rubles. Since then it has not changed.

Since 2000, the minimum wage in Russia was changed 16 times.

The threshold of 1,000 rubles was overcome on May 1, 2006 (1,100 rubles.), and the threshold of 5,000 rubles - on January 1, 2013 (5,205 rubles).

From July 1, 2016, the minimum wage was raised by 1,000 rubles to 7,500 rubles. From July 1, 2017, it will be raised to 7,800 rubles, according to the law dated December 19, 2016.

Although the minimum wage was increased on July 1, 2016, it remains 24.2% below the subsistence level (9,889 rubles).

In spring of 2016, it was reported that the State Duma (lower house of parliament) was working on a bill that should raise the minimum wage to the subsistence level by 2020.

On May 2, 2017, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev instructed the government to draft the relevant law.