The changes are designed to address the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic in this country and to triple the budget deficit up to 298 billion hryvnas. The amended budget bill was supported by 249 deputies.

According to the changes to the budget bill, the revenues will amount to 975.8 billion hryvnas and expenditures will make a total of 1.266 trillion hryvnas while the permissible volume of the deficit will stand at 298.4 billion hryvnas which is thrice as much as the earlier approved amount of 94.3 billion hryvnas. The State debt makes 2.387 trillion hryvnas.

While presenting the draft law at the Parliament, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the financing of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus infection was the first priority of the State budget. To this end, the Government envisages to set up a Fund of 64.7 billion hryvnas to fight against COVID-19. “The Fund will cover additional payments to medical workers who save lives of Ukrainians, purchases of necessary medical equipment, payments to Ukrainians who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus-induced quarantine, monetary aid to families of doctors and nurses”, explained Shmyhal.

The budget bill includes provisions for increasing expenditures for healthcare by 16.4 billion hryvnas, pension payments ‒ by 29.7 billion and other social security needs ‒ by 19.5 billion hryvnas.

Besides, the Prime Minister informed the legislature that the amended budget bill would provide for financing important economic projects, such as a road construction fund, programs supporting regions, farming, culture, education, as well as military spending within previous amounts.

Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko stated earlier that the draft law amending the State budget had been agreed with the International Monetary Fund and its adoption would become an important step for launching a new financial support program of Ukraine.

On that same session day, the Verkhovna Rada finished dealing with the law on opening the land market. Deputies declined all 13 resolutions cancelling the March 30 voting that had been prepared by land market opponents. Parliament Speaker Razumkov signed the draft law and submitted it to the President for signing.

On March 30, Rada approved the draft law on opening the land market in Ukraine from July 2021. Under the land law, at first only citizens of Ukraine will have the right to buy land plots of no more than 100 hectares per person. Thereafter, Ukrainian juridical entities will be allowed to buy land but no more than 10 000 hectares per customer. As for foreign buyers, the issue is expected to be solved later at a nationwide referendum.

In the meantime, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Monastery) has become the place of the highest incidence of the coronavirus cases among Ukrainian churches. According to media reports, 63 new cases have been registered for the past twenty-four hours. Two persons have died. There have been a total of 90 cases of COVID-19. Lavra’s Father Superior Pavel has been hospitalized with the diagnosis of the coronavirus. The authorities of the capital city have decided to take additional measures because of a sharp increase in the number of the ill at the Lavra. “The city will send mobile X-ray devices and a team of medics to take samples for laboratory tests to identify the virus. We must have a real picture of what’s going on there”, said Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klychko.

Since yesterday, the quarantine measures have been strengthened at the monastery. Its territory is patrolled by the police. Earlier, the clergy of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra where the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate holds services called upon believers to ignore quarantine. They asked them to visit churches, pray and receive communion. “All of you, the old and the young, hurry to a church and embrace one another”, they urged.

In the photo: deputies came to a session wearing facial masks.

The newspaper Holos Ukrainy