Komsomolskaya Pravda: “Putin says the time has come to rebuild Russia’s monetary reserve”
With the economic upheaval over, government activities are back to normal and the time has come to boost the country's reserve holdings, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin indicated in a speech at yesterday's government meeting on federal target programmes in 2011.
The meeting will serve as the initial step in planning next year's budget, Putin said, noting that the economic situation has stabilized and now there is every opportunity to arrange the 2011 budget according to traditional methods.
Putin reminded those present that in 2009, when the crisis was in full swing, the government had to launch anti-crisis programmes, and, he said, "it worked." However, provided that the government keeps its social responsibilities to citizens, the country has the opportunity to draw up a budget that will gradually lower the deficit.
The prime minister demanded that the cabinet members develop the budget based on "realistic and prudent estimates, with expense efficiency as the key criterion."
On the subject of new programmes, Putin mentioned that state institutions will receive specific orders to provide medical, educational, and other services instead of simply receiving regular estimates. The orders' quality, he noted, will be as important as the allotted finances.
"These changes should move Russia's education and healthcare system – as well as the whole state-financed sector –toward more public-oriented service."
The meeting concluded by adding several important federal target programmes to the current 52, which comprise education, medicine manufacture, information technologies, energy efficiency, and the housing and public utility sector. "It is time to switch from developing legal frameworks to implementing real projects," Putin emphasized. As regards the housing and public utility sector, the prime minister demanded that efforts should be made to attract private funds to modernise power grid networks and minimize breakdowns and capital repairs that often result in rushed and inadequate work.
Summing up the meeting, Putin mentioned key priorities, including macroeconomic stability, low inflation, bank loan availability, and a reasonable budget deficit, as well as a good balance between our debt obligations and the country's reserves.
"As oil prices are soaring, I deem it possible to boost our monetary reserve," Putin emphasised.
Larisa Kaftan
