Russian Pension Fund Board Chairman Anton Drozdov has visited the International Specialized Exhibition InvaExpo. Society for Everyone held at the VDNKh Exhibition Center in Moscow on September 12-14.
This is the eighth InvaExpo show, which demonstrates Russian and foreign products for rehabilitation of persons with disabilities. A purpose of the exhibition is to promote cooperation between government customers and suppliers of such products and services.
Speaking at the exhibition opening ceremony, Drozdov said that Russia’s accession to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities began a new phase in creating accessible environment. “We have a noble goal of giving disabled persons a chance to live a full life and of reaching a new level in service and care for the disabled. This exhibition is a good example of furthering existent technologies and creating new ones, including digital,” Drozdov said.
There are 12 million disabled persons currently registered in Russia, the PFR Board chairman said. All these people receive pensions and benefits, which will grow at rates considerably higher than inflation next year. The country can count on a substantial input of disabled persons through bolstering social support and their comprehensive involvement in public life, Drozdov said.
The digital economy opens up new vistas for social security of disabled persons and their interaction with the state. Two years ago the Pension Fund launched the Federal Register of Persons with Disabilities (FRPD), which is being actively used in the provision of public services. The PFR assigns nearly 90% of disability pensions on the basis of the register’s data, and there is no need for submitting disability certificates in person. There is also interaction with the Tax Service, which will lead to the provision of tax benefits to disabled persons on the basis of information from the FRPD.
A bill compelling every authority catering to disabled persons’ needs to use the FRPD will be submitted to the State Duma shortly. That will accelerate the provision of public services online.
