Deputies reject the idea of cash payments to children born on Odesa City Day

Members of the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Labor of the Odesa City Council criticized the plans of the Department of Labor and Social Policy to introduce financial assistance to parents whose children were born on Odesa City Day.

According to the Center for Public Investigations, during a meeting of the commission on January 19, Chairwoman Lilia Leonidova called the payment discriminatory.

"I was surprised to learn about such plans, because I believe that nowadays having a child is a significant decision for every family. What happened every year - gifts or something else - is normal, but to allocate separate funds is not. If you pay it to everyone, then it should be allocated to everyone, but to allocate it to the City Day is, in my personal opinion, discrimination. Why not on Independence Day? Is a child born on September 1 worse than one born on City Day?" the MP was outraged.

Olena Kitayska, the head of the Department of Labor and Social Policy, reminded the deputy that the parents of the first child born on that day used to be traditionally congratulated on City Day, but now it is offered to everyone. In general, postpartum care is already provided by the state.

However, the deputies still expressed the opinion that if they were to congratulate families who had children on City Day, they should do so not with money, but with memorabilia or certificates or other gifts.

In the end, the deputies decided to appeal to the leadership of the municipality and the city military administration with a proposal to postpone this item of the "City Target Program for the Provision of Social Services and Other Assistance to Vulnerable Populations of Odesa for 2024-2028" and to finalize the proposal.

Кирило Бойко