On August 1, the II Tula Demographic Forum "Family. The Future in the Present" was held at the Tula Museum of Weapons. The opening of the forum was attended by the Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation Anton Kotyakov and the Governor of the Tula Region Dmitriy Milyaev. The forum discussed current issues of implementing the regional demographic Standard.

Anton Kotyakov thanked the Government of the Tula Region and the Governor for their attention to issues of supporting families.

- The issue of demography is one of the leading issues on the social agenda today. In addition to a fairly wide range of federal support measures, the Tula Region is also implementing its own regional demographic measures. I am sure that these measures will have an effect and will help families in the Tula Region decide to have a child.

He emphasized that the "children's budget" in Russia has grown more than 3 times over 10 years. From September 1, 2025, young women who study full-time will be able to receive maternity allowance based on the subsistence level of the region of residence, and not the amount of the scholarship, as is the case now. In the Tula Region, its size will be more than 90 thousand rubles.

Dmitriy Vyacheslavovich Milyaev noted that the regional government is doing a lot to support families.

- We are establishing new social benefits, paying special attention to supporting families with children, including large families. Young and large families, single mothers, as well as families where one of the parents is a student, can use the service of short-term supervision and care for children free of charge. Much attention in the region is paid to improving the quality of medical care, - said the Governor.

- The issues of increasing the birth rate and supporting families are complex and require joint efforts not only from government agencies, but also from employers and business representatives. We understand that we cannot do without employers in our work to improve demography. Therefore, together with experts and heads of large enterprises, we have developed a document that includes a list of measures that socially responsible employers should use in organizing work with personnel. The standard includes best practices for creating conditions for employees to optimally combine work and family responsibilities, as well as for stimulating the birth rate," said Dmitry Vyacheslavovich Milyaev.

Rector of Tula State University Oleg Aleksandrovich Kravchenko became a speaker at the II Tula Demographic Forum "Family. The Future in the Present". He noted that one of the university's priority tasks is to support young families. This is not just the university's social policy, but an investment in the country's future. A comprehensive approach, including financial assistance, improved housing conditions, flexible work and study formats, as well as psychological support, will create a favorable environment for the development of families and professional activities.

- The activities of our university in the field of supporting student families and families of employees are based on the provisions of the Regional Demographic Standard with the aim of strengthening the institution of the family as the dominant state value. Currently, 101 women with children (including five with many children) are studying full-time at the university. The university has a kindergarten, a medical clinical center with a sanatorium - preventorium.

We set ourselves the task of creating a pro-family environment at the university as a factor of support, social encouragement and traditions. - said the rector.

A young student family of the Tula State University Medical Institute, Svetlana and Ilya Yurischev, took part in the forum. They do not have children yet. The rector talked to them and told them about measures to support student families with children in the future.

Following the results of the II Tula Demographic Forum a resolution was resolved. It includes proposals to supplement the regional demographic Standard with new areas: support for pregnant employees; support for families of SWO participants; assistance to families in difficult life situations. These initiatives will form the basis for further work with employers, businesses and specialized structures in the region.