The rally was announced by the Chernobyl Russia union, but only part of Chernobyl-affected people are present at the event - most of them participate in negotiations with the government underway in the academy of the Emergencies Ministry.
"We believe that the Chernobyl law must be brought beyond the framework of the package and be considered separately," Vladimir Gordiyenko, deputy chairman of the Chernobyl Russia St. Petersburg office, told RIA Novosti.
Representatives of the Communists, Liberal Democrats, Yabloko and Rodina parties are also taking part in the rally. All of them have a negative attitude toward the bill adoption.
The event is being held without any incidents.
Earlier, Chernobyl Russia Vice President Sergei Shvetsov told RIA Novosti that the union gave up participation in the sanctioned protest rally in Ploshchad Revolutsii and will hold negotiations with the government on Thursday.
"We will sit down to the negotiation table in the Emergencies Ministry academy with representatives of the government, State Duma, and trade unions," he said. "We are being involved in the political instead of economic struggle. And this makes us suspicious," Vladimir Bondarenko, a union activist, told RIA Novosti.
In his words, the union has already achieved success, received a promise of the government and parliamentarians to have a choice whether to receive benefits or monetary compensations.
The adoption of the law on monetary compensations will make it possible to considerably increase the provision of funds for Chernobyl-affected people, including social services they receive, said Andrei Isayev, the chairman of the State Duma labor and social policy committee.
In his words, the law will allow to not only preserve privileges but to also introduce additional payments. A disabled person of the first category will get over 7,000 rubles a month ($1 equals 29 rubles): 5,000 as a compensation for health hazard, 1,400 rubles for being a first category disabled person, and 1,000 from the Union of Chernobyl-affected people, specified the deputy.
Besides, those affected by the Chernobyl disaster will be given a social services package, which includes free provision of medicine, commuter travel and sanatorium treatment, Mr. Isayev added.
Commenting on the ambiguous attitude toward the bill on the part of Chernobyl-affected people, Mr. Isayev said that "the people are not well enough informed about the concept of the document."
