MOSCOW, April 25 (AVN) - The State Duma lower house of Russian parliamnet passed amendments to the federal law "Concerning Burial and Funeral Affairs" with 370 votes in favour and one against on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Duma committee on veterans affairs told the Military News Agency.
The amendments will come into force on January 1, 2002. In accordance with them, the burial of WWII veterans and invalids will be financed by the Defence Ministry and other federal executive bodies where the deceased underwent military service. The expenses will equal those envisaged by the Russian government for burial of active duty servicemen, cadets of higher military educational establishments and reservists drafted for training sessions. Reinbursement will cover expenses on preparation of the veteran's or invalid's body for transportation, delivery of the corpse to the funeral site, burial/cremation, production and mounting of the gravestone.
Earlier the funeral of WWII veterans and invalids was financed by their own families, the spokesman said.