MOSCOW, May 10 (RIA Novosti) - The government should give women financial aid worth at least 250,000 rubles (about $9,225) following the birth of a second child, President Vladimir Putin said in his annual state of the nation address Wednesday.
Putin said benefits are the most effective instrument to help solve the country's demographic problem.
"The state must support women who give birth to a second child - to give them a primary basic mother capital to raise their social status. In experts' opinion, the size of such state obligations should be at least 250,000 rubles," Putin said.
Putin said women who give birth to a second child could use the benefit to solve housing problems, spend on the education of their children, or channel it into the funded part of their pensions.
He said the sum should be indexed annually in line with inflation.
