The draft extension budget submitted to the National Assembly guarantees all social payments, the acting Minister of Labor and Social Policy (MLSP) Hasan Ademov told journalists in Varna. He arrived in the city for a meeting with representatives of the department's structures from the North-Eastern region. Ademov explained that his plan is to hold similar talks in the six regions of the country in order to familiarize regional institutions with the goals set by the MLSP.
The draft extension budget guarantees all social payments, including the modernization of pensions, as required by law - from July 1 of this year, the minister added. According to him, the amount of indexed payments under the Law on People with Disabilities is also provided for. This is an opportunity to support Bulgarian citizens from vulnerable groups in a difficult situation, commented the acting minister. Hasan Ademov added that in the absence of a budget, it is difficult to talk about further raising benefits for the poorest.
At the end of last year, 357 thousand individuals and families were supported within the framework of the heating program, the minister recalled. He pointed out that families of children in the first, second, third, fourth and eighth grades also rely on financial assistance, and the money is guaranteed by the budget.
Ademov emphasized that the MLSP and the Ministry of Finance have opened the National Action Plan for Employment, which will contribute to the engagement of about a thousand unemployed. According to him, an inter-institutional mechanism is to be established together with the regional governors in the country to determine the critical infrastructure in places - risky ravines, areas threatened by fires, etc. The program, which is called “Employment without Barriers“, has 41 million euros, added Hasan Ademov.
According to him, within two years, it can provide employment for about 10 thousand unemployed people. On the one hand, unemployed people will be assisted, on the other - municipalities, as well as families who have suffered from floods, fires, or natural disasters, Ademov pointed out. He added that when the inter-institutional mechanism is specified with the regional governors, the draft program will be submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval and then its implementation will begin.