AvtoVaz busy again
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin asked Samara Region Governor Vladimir Artyakov yesterday how effective the car trade-in programme was for AvtoVaz.
"It has been extremely effective," the governor said. "Today, every fifth vehicle made at AvtoVAZ is sold under this programme." It allowed the company to increase production by 40%, and the plant is currently operating in two shifts, Artyakov said. "If the programme is extended, AvtoVAZ will be revived, and we will have a profitable company," the governor concluded.
The prime minister stopped short of immediately promising to extend the trade-in programme, saying, instead, that "it does not preclude the need for a plan to revitalize the company."
In response, Artyakov told the prime minister that AvtoVAZ had been relieved of the "social burden." Forty percent of health and child care centres, previously maintained by the company, have been transferred to municipal management.
Putin asked the governor, "Wait a second, what about the quality of the services provided by these institutions? It hasn't suffered as a result, has it?"
"The city mayor has been instructed to ensure that people receive the same high quality of medical care as was provided by AvtoVaz," the governor assured.
Putin insisted: "The mayor has been instructed to do so, but have you verified if that is indeed the case?"
Artyakov responded positively, saying that all complaints by Togliatti residents were under special scrutiny, "closely monitored" and "acted upon immediately."
"Please pay the utmost attention to this," said the prime minister.
Larisa Kaftan