VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
"In general, we should check all strategic infrastructure facilities, scrutinising the process of their modernisation. This means also the introduction of new automated control systems. However, it is clear already now that we must improve compliance with technical, technological discipline. These issues merit special attention."
"We should draft a clear plan of restoring the plant. This work has been entrusted to the Ministry of Energy and RusHydro, which must use all available possibilities in the sector, such as personnel and research and technical capabilities. The plan is to be drafted and submitted to the government commission within six weeks, and to be approved by a government resolution."
"The energy infrastructure development has a highly positive growth effect on related industries, through the creation of new jobs. It has been estimated that every employee working in a nuclear power plant construction project creates jobs for 10 employees working in related industries. Here, we have also discussed that large projects of this kind have a highly positive effect on the construction industry. As a result, through NPP construction financing, we are actually making investments in several industries at the same time and supporting them in the time of crisis."
"In 2008, 421 billion roubles were allocated to transport from the federal budget, which is one and a half times as much as in the previous year. As a result of this increased investment, more than 2,200km of motorway were built, 296 towns were provided with year-round links to existing road networks, and several major transport facilities have been brought into use."
"We must resolve the task in hand in order to make sure that citizens, as well as the economy, are served by a modern transport system; avail of Russia's unique geographical location to ensure the maximal use of our transit potential; and offer new, alternative routes for the high-speed, secure movement of people and goods. All these strategic tasks are mentioned in the Transport Strategy in the period up to 2030."
"So, by comparison with 2008 the budget for transport infrastructure development will increase by more than 100 billion roubles. It will rise to 560 billion roubles including 312 billion to be spent on motorways, compared to the figure of 294 billion for 2008."
"We need to develop alternative modes of trade, so that people have a choice: not only the main supermarket chain, but also weekend markets, local shops and so on."
“The draft programme [on enhancing the seismic resistance of housing, essential projects and vital service systems in earthquake-prone areas] envisages a six billion rouble federal allocation in 2009 for urgent works to enhance project seismic resistance in Kamchatka, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands. In that, we need not only to renovate old buildings, but should pay ever greater attention to new housing and social infrastructural projects that are up to the latest standards of seismic resistance and comfort.”
“As for transportation infrastructure, we realise full well that it cannot develop rapidly enough in a country as vast as Russia, even though the target allocations we have earmarked are beyond comparison with what Russia and, before it, the Soviet Union, previously spent on this purpose.”
“In the present adverse situation, regional airlines acutely need new and effective craft. This should be lean-burn craft-it matters most for local routes. Passenger planes seating up to 50 are the most important. Russian industry does not yet manufacture such aircraft, so, to support airlines, we should exempt them from import duties as they purchase such planes and engines for them. We have coordinated that step with the Industry Ministry and the United Aircraft Building Corporation.”
”Many things contribute to tariff growth. One of them is a monopolised services market. We have set up a fund for reforming the housing and utilities totalling 240 billion roubles, a huge amount, and we are not using the money elsewhere, despite financial difficulties: the money has been allocated and will be used for its stated purpose. But we intend to give it only to the regions that make their own moves to improve the housing and utilities situation.”
“As for kindergartens, that is above all the responsibility of the regions and cities. At the federal level, we will do everything to encourage that work, we will help the regions to do it, but I would like to tell you that the shortage of places at kindergartens all over Russia has dropped by 30 percent in 2008 alone. That is a major step forward.”
"We have been reforming railway transport since 2001. It was then that the federal programme was approved and its main stages outlined. Today two of them have been completed. Specifically, we have set up the joint stock company Russian Railways, and independent operators have agreed to manage the freight market. Today, in the third stage of the reform, the main objective is to lay out a competitive market for both freight and passenger rail service."
"I consider it vital to protect domestic producers in the metallurgy, coal mining, engineering, aircraft building, shipbuilding, and general building industries. In the current situation, this is especially relevant. We must ensure that Russian companies maintain a heavy workload. Of course, they should work in the market environment without dictating high monopoly prices, because this would be inherently wrong. At the same time, however, protecting domestic producers is the Government's priority".
"It is crucial to create a national transport system, integrate various means of transport into a single logistic network, and introduce new technological compatibility standards."
"First of all, it is important to seek to realise the essential social task - ensure access to high-quality and reliable transport services for all people wherever they live. As of now, 10% of Russians live in villages that have no stable connection to the federal motorway network."
"In the wake of those meetings, high-priority decisions were made to ensure the transport system's development. A corresponding federal target programme has been adopted, with funds invested in the industry until 2015 amounting to 13.5 trillion roubles; almost 5 trillion roubles of this total will be allocated from the federal budget. In addition, other federal target programmes, as well as the programme for building Olympic facilities, suggest allocating quite large sums towards transport development."
"We have decided to set aside another 21 billion roubles for the Defence Ministry's housing programme. I am proceeding from the premise that this measure will help solve numerous social problems and will also support the national construction sector".
"We can and must use the extra resources of the Mortgage Crediting Agency, and involve the banking system as well. In this way we will help banks serve their customers (this implies the construction sector primarily). These steps, in my opinion, will also support future property owners, who invested in the construction of their housing and can encounter problems now when the construction is either completed or pending. All these measures will not only allow us to support the Russian building sector, they will also help address the acute social challenge of providing Russian citizens with proper housing".
"As far as the Housing and Utilities Fund is concerned, it has been set up to achieve several objectives, the key of them is resettling people from dilapidating houses. I consider it possible to accelerate the allocation of additional subsidies to Russia's regions so that local authorities could provide new housing for those who live in dilapidated houses. It is important for us to urgently allocate these funds, two-years limit, totaling 50 billion roubles".
