“Christmas is a special time, the most family-oriented holiday, when a child is born unto us, giving us hope, joy and the belief that our efforts may achieve something worthwhile in the world,” Mateusz Morawiecki said.
“This is my wish for all Polish families: May the joy at Christ’s birth give us greater confidence, prospects, and hope for the future,” he added.
“And if we can contribute in some small way to a better life for Polish families, then I think we will all be immensely happy,” Morawiecki also said, referring to his government's social policies.
“This is my wish for you: May you have a happy, good Christmas,” he told the gathering.
New child benefits to kick in next year
Morawiecki noted that from the new year families with children between 12 and 36 months of age would be offered a new allowance under the government's Family Welfare Capital programme, which he said was designed to ease financial burdens for parents and help mothers return to work.
Scheduled for introduction in January, the new benefit will be available for every child after the first, with each family entitled to a total of PLN 12,000 (some EUR 2,600, USD 2,900) per child, according to officials.
Around 615,000 children are expected to be covered by the initiative in 2022, Morawiecki said.
Meanwhile, Family and Social Policy Minister Marlena Maląg said that the government’s social assistance programmes, including its flagship Family 500+ child benefit measure, were "tailored to the needs of Polish families” and aimed "to improve their demographic and financial situation," the state PAP news agency reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, TVP Info