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
“Support from Russian citizens has always helped us, and I’m confident that the government’s future line-up will rely on the people. We must never forget about the needs of ordinary people. We must always remember how government-level decisions influence the lives of all ordinary Russian citizens.”
"Now I would like to say a few words about the responsibilities of officials and representatives in any organisation that have violated the law. Please note that so-called representatives of authority are not immune to the law. We have examples of criminal persecution, whereby some high-ranking officials were convicted by a court of law and had to serve a term in prison. These include the heads of some regions representing the ruling party. There should be no exceptions in this respect. We will allow no exceptions at all".
Today we will also discuss the draft of the federal targeted programme on nuclear energy technology. Our primary objective is to use our competitive advantages in this high tech economic sector and to consolidate Russia's position on the international market. We have done much in the past, but now we must exploit our experience.
"Under this programme [federal targeted programme on nuclear energy technology] we must create a new generation of technology to build more efficient and eco-friendly nuclear power plants. I am referring to closed-cycle technology. This provides for the rational use of natural uranium and reduces nuclear waste, which means there is less to process and dispose of".
"In addition to public companies and large corporations with government participation, small and medium-sized companies should pursue geological prospecting for mineral resources and extraction. These companies can play a major role in this work. However, to make this work economically effective, it is necessary to lower the expenses for these companies in these activities. We have noted more than once that these expenses are primarily related to excessive administrative barriers. The efforts to reduce these costs could be very effective in terms of small companies that process gravel, clay and sand used locally, in construction. <…> One of the first proposals in this context is to cancel the fees for receiving information from the State Fund of Mineral Resources. This would make the information more accessible to business and would reduce the expenses of those companies, which are currently exploring them or are planning to do so".
"We are also going to discuss amendments to the law On Natural Resources. In the last few years we have overcome the negative trend of reduced geological prospecting and now we are increasing the number of known reserves in all basic minerals. In the mid-1990s we used to say with good reason that we are using what we had prospected before. We now have a completely different approach. According to the latest reports, positive results were obtained last year. We produced 582 billion cubic meters of gas and found 650 billion. The same applies to uranium and iron ore and other metals".
"I support the ministry's view that it should not try to keep its excessive regulating and control functions. I hope that the ministry will take a most active part in elaborating and introducing modern economic methods of ensuring safety. I am referring to mandatory liability insurance, safety audit and better system of technical regulation. Eventually we must effectively encourage businesspeople to invest in safety. I am talking not only about companies providing services but also about all branches of industry and infrastructure".
"The investigation showed that if the fire inspection had been effective this tragedy would not have happened. This is why our common goal for this year is to seriously revise the principles of fire inspection procedures".
"I would like to note that in the last few years Russian rescue services have considerably enhanced their technical equipment, the personnel potential and mobility. However we must admit that there are still many problems. The system of warning about emergencies remains ineffective. The fire inspection makes this particularly obvious".
"I don't have to repeat that everything pertaining to people's safety has always been and will remain one of the government's main priorities. The government will continue to pay most careful attention to that. In effect, our goal should be to protect Russian citizens against any threats, be it from criminals, road traffic, fire, man-made disasters and natural catastrophes wherever possible".
