The oil price situation has stabilized, the government intends to tackle the issue of utility prices and to increase child and maternity benefits. All of these are just a few of the announcements Dmitry Medvedev made today. The PM has addressed the deputies with his annual report. He mentioned how many people live under the poverty line in Russia, when the results of the waste reform would become visible, and how school children should be fed.
Here's the report by Alexey Petrov.
For Medvedev, it's been his 7th speech in the State Duma as the head of the government. And this is the first report on the work of the reformed Cabinet. Prior to the dialogue, the head of the government held meetings with the representatives of the various parties within the Duma. On the agenda were milestones of economic development and national projects, for which 26 trillion rubles ($405 billion) are planned on being allocated. But most importantly, as the PM says, is that the projects become the blueprints of the new Russia. In the next 3 years, they will allocate almost 2.6 trillion rubles ($40.5 billion)to the development of social programs. These are great sums, so are the challenges.
Dmitry Medvedev: "Today, living standards in our country are far from the ideal all of us, regardless of our party allegiance, are striving to achieve. Many people are experiencing hardship. Some of them are just struggling to survive. Today, in Russia, there are almost 19 million people living under the poverty line. It means that 19 million people are living in a way they really shouldn't be living".
This year, the number of poor has already decreased by 400 thousand people thanks to the indexation of social benefits. To make the benefits efficient, a registry of needy families is being created in Russia. For many, substantial support would come in the form of an increased allowance for children under 3, as the members of United Russia point out. The Cabinet agrees.
Dmitry Medvedev: "We believe it's fair that we should find a way to substantially increase this benefit payment. It should be done starting next year. My colleagues are now preparing the proposals of how to set this allowance in a direct way so that it's received by the people who really need it".
Vyacheslav Volodin: "Colleagues, this is a great decision. Why isn't the left supporting it? It's what we've been waiting for for 25 years. We failed to achieve communism however long we tried, and now we have this decision. That's why let's express a more objective reaction".
Significant changes have been made to the healthcare system. 350 new medical and obstetric stations have been created. A large-scale construction project for perinatal centers has been completed. Now, there are 56 of them. Nearly 1 trillion rubles (15.6 billion) will have been allocated for the fight against oncological diseases by 2024.
The housing conditions are in focus as well. The members of the Fair Russia party propose to extend the possible ways to spend maternity benefit funds for building a country house.
Dmitry Medvedev: "I think this is the right thing to do. We need to adjust the corresponding norms as to allow this way of spending maternity benefit funds. But I'd like us to focus our attention on how to specify that it must be a residential house instead of a garden cottage".
The country house amnesty is extended to the 1st of March, 2020.
There’s a question by Valentina Tereshkova, who was elected in Yaroslavl Oblast, about the idea of affiliating the Volkov State Academic Drama Theater in Yaroslavl with the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.
Valentina Tereshkova, United Russia: "It's our history. It celebrates its 270th anniversary next year. May I ask you to suspend the order signed by Mr. Medinsky? Because the residents of Yaroslavl aren't going to give up. They showed their ability to fight during the Great Patriotic War".
Dmitry Medvedev: "Valentina Vladimirovna, I appreciate your direct and overt threat towards the Ministry of Culture. What can I say? Unfortunately, in this case, we're dealing with a situation in which the idea to affiliate theaters wasn't planned well. This is exactly why I issued an order some time ago to call this idea off, thus suspending the affiliation".
An important point is the security of Russia's fishing industry. The Duma has recently adopted a law on the redistribution of 50% of quotas for crab-fishing.
Andrey Andreychenko, LDPR party: "If the analysis shows that the law doesn't work, are you ready to make proposals which would restore order in the industry?"
Dmitry Medvedev: "This is an industry with a huge, multi-million-dollar turnover, yet they don't purchase fishing vessels. That's why we need to distribute these investment quotas in a way which would allow for new fishing vessels to appear, thus preserving the industry".
After a series of questions, once again, various party leaders focused their attention on the key problems and put forth some proposals.
Gennady Zyuganov, Communist Party: "The worst of our troubles is financial management. Let's handle it! Where did Siluanov go? We currently have 2 trillion rubles ($31 billion) worth of unused funds. Why did you turn down the request of the war children? It was submitted 5 times. Why did you turn down the requests by other people in desperate need?"
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, LDPR: "Today, they haven't stopped collectors. They continue to torment people. They continue to sell shares of flats. Tens of thousands of scammers claiming disability benefits. The doctors are to blame. Social services run rampant. They remove children from normal families".
Sergey Mironov, Fair Russia party: "I'd like to speak about healthcare. For a start, we need to remove private insurance companies from the healthcare system. When we see these companies only look out for their bottom line, doctors don't understand what they should work for: for the sake of the patients, for the sake of the state, or for the sake of private insurance companies".
Moreover, the deputies make it clear that not only numbers are important. For example, in the area of education, new schools are being built, but it's equally important what food is served in the school cafeterias.
Sergey Neverov, United Russia: "We should discuss balanced, nutritious, hot food for our school children. It's a crucial issue for maintaining their health. Fruit, vegetables, and meat should be served".
Nikolai Kolomeytsev, LDPR: "And, of course, a glass of milk for a child. It's far too obvious, it's the foundation of human health".
Dmitry Medvedev: "All of that is good. That's the right thing to do. In this case, I second what Sergey Ivanovich has said. We need to think not just about a glass of milk but about a good diet, taking into account the dietary needs of each child".
Cooperation between the Cabinet and the Duma plays a special role in the development of the country, as Medvedev notes. Now, the deputies are processing almost 250 government bills.
Alexey Petrov, Ekaterina Galkina, Nikolai Zakharov, Alexey Karpukhin, Oleg Makarov, Vesti.
