NEWS

On Tuesday Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for the first time handed out the decorations of the freshly introduced Order of Parental Glory - Russia's state award to parents with many children.

The ceremony took place in the Aleksandrovsky Hall of the Big Kremlin Palace - a traditional place for solemn events. But this time the room was filled by children's songs that made the atmosphere somewhat less serious. Organizers also put banquet tables in the hall that hosted the eight families who were the first to receive the new awards. The laureates came from all over Russia - from St Petersburg and Moscow to Dagestan and Yakutia. 

Speaking at the ceremony Pre­sident Dmitry Medvedev noted that the Parental Glory was not an ordinary award and the authorities took into account a variety of factors when introducing it. "The previous Soviet experience existed but finally we made a decision that both parents' joint input must be valued and probably that was right," the Russian President said.

Dmitry Medvedev referred to the Mother Hero award that was introduced in the Soviet Union in 1944 and was handed out to mothers who had 10 or more children. Of over 400 thousand women who received the award, there was only one exception when the order and title were given to a man. It was Veniamin Makarov - a colonel in reserve who had adopted 12 children. This was so unusual that in official papers Makarov was still called "mother".  

Tzarist Russia also had a special award for parents - the St. Olga Mark of Distinction that was introduced in 1914. In 1915 the mark was awarded to Vera Panayeva - the mother of four sons who all became heroes and perished during the First World War.

The new Russian order will be awarded to parents who are legally married and who have raised or are currently raising four children or more - their own or adopted. Albeit the number of children required was decreased, the order status now provides that the family must meet many quality requirements - its members must live a healthy life and provide good care for their children. Apart from the decoration and diploma the families who get the award are entitled to 50 thousand rubles (about $1700) of monetary aid from the government. Adopted children also According to Russian statistics, there are a million and a half families with four or more children in the country, but the first ceremony was held for eight families only. 

One day after the ceremony the presidential press service reported that one of the families that received the award have given the Russian president a reindeer as a sign of gratitude.

Vladimir and Olga Maximov were among eight couples to receive the Order of Parental Glory, awarded to couples who have four or more biological or adopted children, from Dmitry Medvedev at a ceremony in the Kremlin on Tuesday.

The Maximov family from the Siberian republic of Yakutiya includes parents, five children, three grandchildren, three daughters-in-law and two nephews, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. They said that their present would live in their home village of Iengra until its new owner was ready to pick it up.

The Moscow News