The parliamentary social committee will discuss the draft amendments to the Social Assistance Act, which regulates new social assistance for welcoming the Easter and Christmas holidays, BNT reported.
The project was submitted to the parliament by the chairwoman of the committee Denitsa Sacheva and a group of deputies from GERB-SDF on March 12.
The assistance is planned to be paid annually in March and December, and its amount will be determined by the state budget for the respective year.
The bill also states that the assistance must reach pensioners with incomes below the poverty line, large families, people living alone, people with disabilities, single parents, veterans of war veterans, disabled war veterans and war victims and other needy people, taking into account certain access criteria.
According to preliminary data from the Social Assistance Agency and the National Social Security Institute, the new social assistance is expected to reach over 507,000 people from various vulnerable groups.
The Chairwoman of the Social Assistance Committee Denitsa Sacheva has already explained on behalf of the petitioners that at present, in the implementation of state policy in the field of social assistance, a model has not been introduced through which assistance would be provided to all people with low incomes during the holidays, with the exception of pensioners with a pension below the poverty line.
During the holidays, current expenses for food, electricity, transport and others increase significantly.
For the most vulnerable groups of the population, these expenses are unbearable, and the lack of funds increases the feeling of inequality.
The petitioners also point out that such practices for support exist in a number of other European Union member states.
The changes will also be discussed by the Committee on Demographic Policy, Children and the Family.