Government promises money to back birthrate

The Government vows to offer young families with two and more children 30,000-50,000 lei to buy dwelling space. The state was made Friday by deputy premier Victor Stepaniuc, at the national conference “Policies of social protection for young families: realities and perspectives”. Yet the official has not specified when this is going to happen, Info-Prim Neo reports. Stepaniuc says the subsidies for the graduates of faculties of pedagogy, medicine, culture and social assistance, who'll accept to work in villages, will run up to 50,000 lei during the first five years after graduation. Other participants have said the Moldovan young families confront numerous problems, especially material ones. As a result an enhanced rate of divorces is recorded, as many young people postpone making a family, while the couples managing to stick together agree to have but a child. Now the birth subsidy is 1,200 lei for the first child and about 1,500 lei for the next. To nurse their child to 1,5 years, the families get a monthly subsidy of 150 lei, while to raise a child to 3 years, the state gives monthly subsidies equaling 20% from the mother's salary. Officials from the Health Ministry have pointed out issues affecting the health and the development potential of youths, as the alcohol, drugs and smoking addictions. According to Maria Tarus, an official of the ministry, about 16% of Moldovans aged from 15 to 18 smoke, 5 % often use alcohol, and some 12 % have already experienced drugs. The youths represent 1/5 of the Moldovan population .