Is an increase in social assistance amounts expected?

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev approved changes to the law "On subsistence minimum." According to the new amendments, in addition to medical and educational institutions, new nutrition standards will also be approved for individuals in social sphere institutions.

As reported by BAKU.WS, MP Vugar Bayramov stated this on social media.

He noted that previous legislation did not provide for the approval of standards for social sphere institutions, which institutionally did not allow them to fully utilize this opportunity. The new changes have eliminated this gap.

"The Cabinet of Ministers will determine nutrition standards for individuals in medical institutions, educational institutions, and social sphere institutions within three months and submit the information to the President of Azerbaijan.

Will there be increases in social assistance amounts?

Simultaneously, it is expected that this year a new composition of the minimum consumer basket will be determined and approved, which was last revised 11 years ago. This is being implemented in accordance with the requirements of Article 3.2 of the mentioned law.

Determining the new composition of the minimum consumer basket will allow accounting for expenses that have arisen since the last approval. Establishing a new composition of the consumer basket will create opportunities for further increasing the subsistence minimum, which currently stands at 285 manats. As a result, raising the needs criterion will allow for an increase in the amount of social assistance. After all, the more this criterion increases, the more funds are allocated from the state budget for social assistance. This is especially important from the perspective of strengthening social protection for citizens most in need of social support," added the parliamentarian.