President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed Additional measures to support persons with disabilities and categories of the population in need of social protection Decree Thursday, the Ministry of Finance and Uzbekistan 24 channel reported.

According to the document, from April 1, 2022, the minimum amount of disability benefits, as well as disability pensions for incomplete work experience will increase from 440,000 to 622,000 soums.

From April 2022, a new benefit is also being introduced for people caring for disabled children under 18 who need constant care, not less than the minimum consumer spending value - 500,000 soums per month.

“The main purpose of introducing this benefit is to support a family member caring for disabled children who need constant care. Mothers caring for children with disabilities cannot engage in income-generating activities, which means that the vulnerability of such families to social risks will increase. As a result of the introduction of the new pension, mothers of disabled children will be provided with a guaranteed main source of income,” the Ministry of Finance noted.

The head of the UNICEF office in Uzbekistan, Munir Mammadzade, said that the new benefit "would prevent the placement of children in boarding schools."

This benefit is assigned on the basis of a list of diseases (congenital anomalies, severe diseases of internal organs, oncological diseases with severe complications, cerebral palsy, and others) for children under 18 years of age who need care. As a result, according to provisional estimates, in 2022, an additional 157 billion soums will be contributed from the state budget for mothers raising more than 30,000 children with disabilities.

Care benefit can be issued either through the center, or the governmental services e-portal services.

In total, 378 billion soums from the state budget will be provided for the implementation of the above goals in 2022.