MOSCOW, September 6 (RAPSI) – President Vladimir Putin on Thursday submitted amendments to a pension reform bill to the lower house of Russian parliament, the Federation Council’s vice speaker Andrey Turchak told journalists.

The amended bill is to be considered by the State Duma in the second reading.

The President issued a set of suggestions on the pension system change on August 29.  Putin proposed to lower the women’s retirement age to 60 years. Morever, he made several proposals aimed to strengthen guarantees for persons nearing retirement age, in particular to protect them from discrimination and dismissal without a valid reason. 

On July 19, the State Duma passed the pension system bill in the first reading. Initially, the document, which was suggested in mid-June by the government, provided a gradual increase in the retirement age of up to 65 years for men and up to 63 years for women.