Low-income families will be given 6,000 rubles per month for food each.

A bill on electronic food certificates for low-income citizens will be introduced in the State Duma. A parliamentary group has put forward this initiative. If the government approves, the program could begin implementation within six months. However, food stamps, cards, and certificates of various types for the poor have been tried for years. However, all previous attempts to introduce this form of government support have failed. What will happen this time?

Paper food stamps are a thing of the past; older Russians associate them with long lines and empty shelves. While there's an abundance of food in retail stores these days, not everyone has the money to buy it. According to the latest data from Rosstat, 11.9 million people, or 8.1% of the population, lived below the poverty line in the first quarter of 2025. That's practically an entire Moscow of residents who lack the means to eat.

According to the deputies, all of them should be issued plastic cards, to which the government should transfer a certain amount—in this case, 30% of the subsistence minimum is proposed. The average subsistence minimum in Russia is 17,733 rubles, and the target for 2026 is 18,939 rubles. This means that approximately 6,000 rubles per month should be allocated for food. This should be a targeted amount, intended only for food—no alcohol or other excesses.

To obtain the coveted plastic card, a person must permanently reside in Russia. And their income must be below the subsistence minimum in the region. That's all there is to it. If the government approves this initiative, the program can begin to be implemented within 180 days.

The question is, will he agree? The history of food stamps for the poor (before the wonders of digitalization) dates back to the early 2000s and has resurfaced periodically in our society ever since. But, as we see, the cart is still stuck. Will it budge this time? Consider the budget deficit and the slowdown (officials say planned) of the Russian economy. This isn't the best time to dip into the federal treasury.

"Payments equal to 30% of the subsistence minimum amount to approximately 5,682 rubles per month per person," calculated Freedom Finance Global analyst Vladimir Chernov. "Multiply this by 11.9 million recipients, and it comes to approximately 67.6 billion rubles per month, or 811 billion rubles per year. This burden on the budget will be significant, especially considering the funds required for verification, support, the distribution system, and oversight. Authorities will be forced to either reallocate funds from other programs or increase borrowed financing. With average inflation and rising prices, the budget burden could increase annually."

However, Petr Shelishch, co-chair of the Russian Union of Consumers, believes that the proposed innovation with a certificate for low-income people has the right to live.

- Will the government find the money to implement such a program?

"Actually, there's a lot of money in the budget, trillions of rubles. We need to determine the order in which it should be spent. If social spending is considered a guarantee of social stability, the government will find the funds for this purpose. There may not be enough for some other projects, but there's definitely money for social obligations to citizens."

- But what will force the government to spend this money on food for the poor?

Let me remind you that our cost of living is several times lower than that of some European countries. This, of course, doesn't do us any credit. I'd also like to emphasize that the introduction of such certificates will have a positive effect not only on low-income Russians but also on domestic producers and farmers. Because goods must be domestically produced. According to retail chains, 90% of the products in stores today are Russian. But some are also imported.

I would also include large families among the recipients of state support, where there are many dependents per worker—seven on a bench, as they say. Feeding such a crowd is quite difficult on an average salary.

- Isn't about 6 thousand rubles a month for food too little?

We have to start somewhere. The most pressing issue is how to administer the process. Even those who don't need it will apply for government support, and everyone will have to be vetted. Perhaps we should initially base the assessment not on the 10-11 million people in need, but only on those currently receiving housing subsidies. They're already visible, registered, and have special accounts. But if everyone is vetted, the administration itself could end up costing more than the actual payments.

- Will there be a need for special stores for participants in this program?

"Nothing is needed. A nominal 6,000 rubles will be deposited onto a plastic card, and the person can use it to buy whatever groceries they want. Now they're talking about some kind of list: potatoes are allowed, but candy, for example, is not. I don't support that approach. The main thing is that the products are domestically produced."