Title: Iran Announces Targeted Increase in Child Subsidies to Support Low-Income Families
In a significant move to bolster social welfare, Iranian authorities have confirmed a substantial increase in cash subsidies for specific low-income households, as part of a broader strategy to refine the nation’s social safety net.
A Focus on Families and Low-Income Groups
The policy, detailed by Amirhossein Bankipour Fard, Head of the Joint Commission for the Youthful Population and Family Support Plan, specifically targets families that meet three key criteria. To benefit from the increased subsidy, a household must have at least three dependent children, fall within the first four lower-income deciles, and not be headed by a state employee.
This initiative is framed as a measure for effective support and encouragement of childbearing, directly channeling resources to the most economically vulnerable segments of society.
Funding Through Targeted Reallocation
The financial backing for this increase is a direct result of the government’s ongoing policy of subsidy targeting. In recent months, cash subsidies for high-income households have been suspended, with the top three income deciles now excluded from receiving payments. The resources freed up from this measure are being reallocated to strengthen support for lower-income deciles.
Bankipour Fard emphasized that the increased child benefit for eligible families will be tripled. The funds will be securely transferred to the designated household benefit accounts once the necessary budgetary allocations are formally secured through legal channels.
Broader Subsidy Reforms in Motion
This announcement is part of a wider series of adjustments to the cash subsidy system slated for the current Iranian year. These reforms are designed to ensure that financial aid reaches those with the greatest need. Official reports indicate that subsidies for approximately 750,000 individuals in the eighth and ninth income deciles have already been discontinued.
In line with a parliamentary mandate, the government is obligated to use the savings from these cuts to increase the subsidy amount for the first to third income deciles. While the exact increased figure has not been officially announced, its implementation this year is considered certain as per the national budget law.
For the majority of recipients in the fourth to ninth deciles, the subsidy amount remains set at its current level. The top tenth income decile continues to be excluded from the subsidy program, a policy officials state is intended to optimize resource allocation and concentrate support on needy strata.