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.”
“State inspectors can now suspend operations and dismiss the heads of mining companies for severe violations before a court’s decision has taken effect. I’d like to note that in 2010 over 81,000 violations were uncovered in this industry, and over 8,000 companies and their staffs were fined.”
“As you know, five years ago we began implementing a national project in Russia’s agroindustrial sector and then used this project as the basis for a government programme to support the sector. We have invested over 440 billion roubles from the federal budget within this framework. In total, taking into account regional allocations, 700 billion roubles have been put to support agriculture over the past years. And experience has shown that we have been making the right decisions – these investments are now paying off.”
“Children in rural areas should have access to quality education and modern learning tools on a par with their peers in cities and towns. The national programme for education has played a significant role in making that happen. Now almost all of Russia’s rural schools are connected to the internet. More than 1,000 sets of teacher's aids in subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, and geography have been sent to schools located in out-of-the-way areas. As for small rural schools, we’ll continue to support those that belong to communities with an objective need.”
“I’d like to make is that teachers who live and work in rural areas now have the right to apply for reimbursements on their utility bills. A resolution to the effect was adopted late last year. And, of course, we should do more to promote culture and sport in the countryside and to support rural libraries.”
“Over the past eight years, over 217,000 young specialists and young families have benefited from our housing programmes. Many young professionals based in rural areas have been able to improve their families’ living conditions, with more than 14 million square metres of residential space being provided for their housing needs. An additional 2.5 million square metres will become available in 2011-2013. Moreover, I believe that we should allow farmers to build their houses on farmlands.”
“To be truly competitive, our agro-industrial sector needs high-tech equipment. Today old tractors and combines that have exhausted their service life account for 70%-80% of those in use. According to available estimates, farmers are spending billions of roubles on repairs instead of using these funds to develop their farms. The technical fleet must be reequipped and the scrap must be disposed, all the more so since our mechanical engineers are starting to produce new models and foreign firms are also arriving. Incidentally, we could think about a special programme here, as we have in car making, to encourage the production of modern equipment on our territory.”
“The share of small businesses in Russia’s agroindustrial sector is steadily rising. We now have more than 200,000 farm holdings and over 100,000 individual farmers. The production rate in rural small businesses is growing between three and four times faster than the industry average – I noted this when preparing for this meeting. <…> We have every reason to say that farming has established itself in Russia as a powerful economic and social entity, as a bulwark of the country, and as an important source of development for Russia and for reviving its rural communities and their rich traditions.”
“This country will benefit from the development of the farming sector and from the success of those who want to improve their standard of living in the process. Cultivating land should become a source of pride and of prosperity.”
“Regional and municipal authorities should provide vacant agricultural land to those who want to engage in agricultural production and become farmers on a priority basis. I request that our representatives and supporters in the local authorities be guided by this approach. We cannot allow profiteers and resellers to get ahold of these plots in order to resell them and cash in simply because the land was undervalued on the market. This land should go to those who will cultivate it, for whom agriculture is a livelihood and a source of prosperity.”
“Russian producers are retaking their position on our domestic food market. Despite the hard two-year drought in 2009 and 2010, Russia almost completely met its domestic demand for grain. Russian producers now account for more than 75% of the meat market, and poultry production has doubled over the past five years. If you recall, Russian meat producers accounted for a mere 64% of the domestic market in 2005. And we can certainly be proud of these results. You, the Russian farmers, have made a significant contribution to this success.”
“Our goal is to let the farmers do their business without unnecessary barriers and obstacles and to spare them any unjustified or burdensome administrative, financial, and organisational costs. Everything is important in this respect. We should consider the specifics of agricultural production in agreements on the supply of electricity, heat, and water. We have already instructed the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Energy, and the Ministry of Regional Development to study these issues in more detail.”
“We must seize every opportunity to reinforce positive demographic trends and support families with children. Every aspect of this work is important, including the creation of new jobs, a flexible tax policy, and the development of healthcare and education. It is our duty to address all these problems, and we will continue to place them among our top priorities.”
“I'd like you to keep an eye on inflationary tendencies so that we can stick to our pledge to raise the payments by at least 9%. We'll make our final decision depending on the current economic situation and the rate of inflation. But this prospective rise cannot be under 9%.”
“Parents and guardians bringing up two children will have a 2,400 rouble monthly benefit, which increases to 5,400 roubles for three children. Families with four or more children will have a 3,000 rouble benefit for each child, starting with the fourth. Both parents or both guardians will be entitled to the benefit. If there is only one parent or guardian in a family, he or she will receive double the benefits, as justice requires. Benefits will also double for families with children who have health problems.”
“The regions are unforgivably slow to substantiate applications for relief, provide estimates, and repair the essential infrastructure. But the regional authorities are not the only problem. Colleagues, we too must work more quickly. The paperwork gets stuck in our agencies for weeks and even months. I call on the Emergencies Ministry and the relevant federal and regional agencies to take stock of the situation and create a plan and submit it to the government with conclusions and practical proposals on how to organise this work for ourselves so those in need of our help not to wait for us to overcome all those bureaucratic obstacles.”
“Since 2006 we have consistently increased our investment in public welfare, education and healthcare, focussing attention on mothers and children. We began with material support for families with children and for pregnant women. We introduced new welfare programs, such as maternity certificates and federal subsidies for multiple-child families, known as maternity capital. We regularly adjust this support as we announced at the start, so it gives recipients ever greater opportunities. Young families get some help with housing.”
“It matters tremendously now to preserve our achievements and prevent regress, to stabilise the demographic situation, and lay a firm and lasting foundation for improvement. This is our objective for the second stage of the demographic policy concept, for 2011-2015. Our top priorities remain unchanged – increased birth rate, circumspect immigration policy and, last but not least, reduced mortality rate, especially accidental deaths.”
“The strategic goals we set for longterm development through 2020 will remain unchanged. These goals are to improve living standards, make the economy innovative, and form effective market and government institutions. Why did we address the period after 2012? We had in mind not only the political calendar but also the premise from which we proceeded in the programme for long term development through 2020 (and it is mentioned there in no uncertain terms) that 2012 marks a new stage in Russia's socio-economic development.”
“Regional programmes must make healthcare more affordable. We have to introduce new standards that can guarantee quality and effective care – including diagnostics, procedures, and the provision of pharmaceuticals. And Moscow should naturally take the lead in introducing these new healthcare standards. We should also eliminate the humiliating need to wait in line. I've raised this issue more than once. The procedure of making appointments and appointments proper should be organised in the most convenient manner for patients.”
