Additional Payments in the Aral Sea Region
The legislation of the RK stipulates the provision of social protection for citizens affected by the Aralsk environmental disaster. This determines their status, the classification of regions, and sets compensation and benefits to citizens who require social rehabilitation measures.
The main legal act regulating the issues of social support in regard to the population of the Aral Sea region is the Law of RK “On social protection of citizens affected by the environmental disaster on the Aral Sea region” (Law) from 30 June, 1992.
SUPPORTING MEASURES
According to the legislation of RK, the following measures of support are provided for the citizens living in a zone of ecological disaster:
– Increase of expenses on medical attendance
– Increased pension provisions
– Increased salary
– Provision of additional vacations
– Benefits when ensuring accommodation in special housing
– Rights in the sphere of the housing relations in regard to social guarantees for the unemployed.
ZONES
Considering the severity of the developed ecologically detrimental situation, the influence of desertification and pollution of the surrounding environment that affects the health of inhabitants, the territory of ecological disaster in the Aral Sea region is divided into the following zones:
– Zone of ecological disaster;
– Zone of ecological crisis;
– Zone of ecological pre-crisis condition.
Application of these or any other measure of support, as well as the magnitude of the problem, depends on a disaster zone in which the population lives.
1. Increase of expenses on medical service
The state guarantees periodic and comprehensive physical assessments of all citizens of the region, as well as the provision of medico-sanitary and medico-public assistance in all medical institutions. Also, financial support for healthcare equaling either the monthly tariff charge or an official salary on top of one’s operating payments is provided annually.
2. The increased provision of pensions
To the citizens living in a zone of ecological disaster, pensions that are coefficient for accommodation in ecologically unsuccessful conditions are established in the following zones:
– Zone of ecological disaster – 1,5;
– Zone of ecological crisis – 1,3 for the citizens who retired 01 January 1998.
3. Increased amount of salary
Alongside salary, grants using coefficient for accommodation in ecologically unsuccessful conditions is established for the employees living and working in a zone of ecological disaster in the following zones:
– Zone of ecological disaster – 1,5
– Zone of ecological crisis – 1,3
– Zone of ecological pre-crisis condition – 1,2
4. Provision of additional holidays
The annual additional paid vacation (in addition to the holiday granted for work involving harmful work conditions) is granted for the employees living and working in a zone of ecological disaster, dependent on each zone:
– Zone of ecological disaster – 12 calendar days
– Zone of ecological crisis – 9 calendar days
– Zone of an ecological pre-crises state – 7 calendar days
5. Benefits when providing accommodation in special houses for pensioners and disabled people are preferential
6. The additional rights of the persons who were injured due to an environmental disaster, ecological crisis, in the sphere of the housing relations
The right of non-paid receipt of the property of the occupied housing is provided.
Disabled people from I and II groups, in accordance to the ecological disaster have the right to first-priority receipt of housing, except for the regional centers, the cities of republican value and the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
7. Compensations and privileges to the persons who left a zone of environmental disaster
First-priority employment on the new abiding place according to profession and qualification of the persons who left a zone of an environmental disaster. In the absence of provision of other work considering their work-related desire or possibility of educating in new professions (specialties), the established educating wage is guaranteed.
8. Compensation and privileges to the persons who have moved or directed by the free hiring to the ecological disaster zone
The persons moved or directed by the free hiring of the ecological disaster zone are prioritized in the allocation of apartments at the abiding place in case they are specialists in need of housing or have worked in the ecological disaster zone no less than 5 years.
9. Social guarantees for unemployed
Unemployed people who live in the zones of ecological disaster are entitled to preferential (by establishment of quotas) admission to the educational organizations, realizing professional training programs of technical and professional, post-secondary and higher education, to acquire short supplied professions needed to address the Aral Sea region issues, as well as courses for training with mandatory granting of the hostel at the time of study.
