The Cabinet discussed highway construction yesterday.
However, the government's first meeting was devoted to the Investment Fund.
"This Fund was created in 2005 as an instrument for public-private partnership to attract business to invest in large-scale infrastructure projects," Vladimir Putin reminded those present. "That includes economic modernisation."
The fund helps to finance 14 projects costing a total of more than a trillion roubles. A third of that money is provided by the Investment Fund.
"On average every rouble in the federal budget attracts more than 3 roubles in private investment for federal projects, and for regional projects every budget rouble attracts four private roubles," Vladimir Putin calculated. "Budget allocations act as a catalyst for private investment. We should proceed based on this logic."
It's true that the crisis slowed many of the government's investment plans. "All the projects launched with the participation of the Investment Fund are properly financed by business and will be carried through," Vladimir Putin said.
The government also discussed the eternal theme of Russian roads.
"Today you can say more about the problems of our road construction sector than about its progress," Vladimir Putin noted. "The problems existed before, but the crisis is aggravating them."
The existing roads are poorly maintained, the prime minister said, it has a "negative impact on traffic, comfort and safety".
In the last four years 21 bridges have been built across major rivers in the European part of the country and in Siberia. This construction was started in the USSR. Now "these debts have been repaid."
"In 2009 we built more than 3000 km of motorways, 30% more than in the healthy year in 2008," Putin said. Through traffic on the Chita-Khabarovsk motorway is due to open in 2010".
That, the prime minister said, would complete a single cross country motorway.
"You will now be able to drive from Murmansk to Vladivostok," the prime minister promised.
Nigina Beroyeva