Komsomolskaya Pravda: "Putin proposes sacking bureaucrats... if they obstruct business development"
Nigina Beroyeva
Vladimir Putin began yesterday's meeting of the Government Presidium by reviewing the tentative results of the latest anti-crisis measures.
The Premier mentioned the massive state assistance to the banks. He stressed again that these measures prevented a collapse of the banking system. Small business, agriculture and the automotive industry also got their share of state support. To boost demand for Russian-made cars the Government promised to subsidise interest on auto loans to buyers.
The list of major enterprises which will also get financial aid will be announced today. State aid means not just an injection of money. That money will have to be paid back to the state when times get better. And if the enterprise is unable to pay up the government may take it over. For the country's economy to work normally after the crisis, Putin proposes amendments to the law on protecting competition.
"On the one hand, it will free business of excessive control and on the other hand, it will close the loopholes for dishonest competition," Putin stressed. The casualties of the new rules may be the bureaucrats who abuse their office to help favoured businesses.
"In the future such actions may entail not only a fine, but disqualification, that is, being barred from holding government office," the Premier warned.
