File photo
Some three million Iranian families living in rural parts of the country lack access to social security, according to an Iranian government official.
Speaking to the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) on Thursday, Mohamed Riza Vaiz Mehdevi, general director of social security for farmers, villagers and nomads, discussed accessibility to social insurance -- or the lack thereof -- among Iran’s vast rural population.
Mehdevi cited a recent survey of six million Iranian households that found that more than three million rural families lacked access to social security.
“By the end of this year, however, a member of each of these families will be incorporated into the [government’s social security] system,” he told ISNA.
The government, he added, was currently working on ways to help rural families benefit from Iran’s national social security program.
According to Mehdevi, two-thirds of farmers’ and villagers’ insurance premiums are paid for by the state, while the last third is paid by the beneficiary.
According to Iran’s official statistics agency, the country’s total population stood at some 80 million last year.
The European Union agreed 18 million euros ($20.6 mln) in aid for Iran on Thursday, including for the private sector, to help offset the impact of U.S. sanctions and salvage a 2015 deal that saw Tehran limit its nuclear ambitions.The announcement is part of the bloc's high-profile efforts to support the nuclear accord that President Donald Trump abandoned in May. It is part of a wider package of 50 million euros earmarked for Iran in the EU budget.The EU is working to maintain trade with Iran, which has threatened to stop complying with the nuclear agreement if it fails to see the economic benefits of relief from sanctions.The bloc's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement the bloc was committed to cooperation with Iran."This new package will widen economic and sectoral relations in areas that are of direct benefit to our citizens," she said.The bloc will spend 8 million euros on the Islamic Republic's private sector, including assistance for small and medium-sized enterprises and Iran's Trade Promotion Organisation.A further 8 million euros will go to environmental projects and 2 million euros to fighting harm caused by drugs. ($1 = 0.8744 euros) Iran sanctions are 'unjust and harmful': UN expertUK to help modify Iran’s Arak heavy-water nuke reactorIran's Revolutionary Guard says will raise defensive capabilities
EU agrees 18 mln euro development aid for Iran