According to the resolution, subsidies will be granted to families and individuals whose housing and utility bills exceed a certain percentage of their joint income.
The extent of subsidies will be determined based on individual or family incomes, and on apartment size.
The press office said the relevant authorities would have to reach decisions on whether to grant subsidies, and determine their amounts, within 10 working days after the filing of applications.
In late 2004, in a bid to end the Soviet-era system of state benefits for elderly and disabled people, the government replaced benefits with by cash compensation. Pensioners and other benefit holders who lost the right to free transport, subsidized medicine and discounts on utilities, staged protests. Many did not receive compensation from cash-stripped regional budgets, while others claimed the compensation was inadequate.
