Minister: In 2016, 30,000 unemployed mothers will receive maternity benefits

ArmInfo. For the first time in Armenia, nearly 30,000 unemployed mothers in Armenia will receive maternity benefits in 2016, Artem Asatyan, Minister for Labor and Social Affairs, told at the parliamentary discussions on the state budget today, on Nov 4.

He said the budget will allocate 3.9 billion drams to that end.  Starting 2016, the unemployed mothers having a relevant certificate will receive one-time aid in the amount of 126,600 drams.  He said the one- time benefit will be provided to both the employed and unemployed mothers. "The one-time maternity benefit for the first two children is by 50,000 drams, for the third and fourth children is by 1 million drams, for the fifth and sixth children by 1.5 million drams," the minister said.  For the unemployed mothers the one-time aid will be based on the minimum salary (supposedly 50%). In such case, the amount of the benefit for 140 days stipulated by the law will total about 138,000 drams for unemployed mothers.

On October 1, the Armenian Government approved the draft state budget of Armenia for 2016, according to which the real GDP for 2016 is estimated at 2.2%, GDP deflator index - 4%, 12-month inflation - 4% (+1.5%), budget deficit - 3.5% of GDP.  Expenditures will total 1 trillion 373.7 billion AMD, and revenues - 1 trillion 183 billion AMD AMD, with the deficit being 197 bln AMD.  Meanwhile, according to the World Bank's Global Economic Prospects report, Armenia will post 2.7% GDP growth in 2016 and 3% growth in 2017. According to the data of the National Statistical Service of Armenia Armenian budget revenues for the first half of 2015 totaled 553.8 billion AMD (04.% growth), expenditures made up 605.9 billion AMD (16% growth) .  Budget deficit for the reported period of time was 52 billion AMD.