Agenda: One-time payments to pensioners, draft federal laws, budget allocations.
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks
From the transcript of the meeting:
Government meeting
Before we move on to our agenda, I would like to say a few words about the decisions that have been adopted.
In his address to the Federal Assembly, the President instructed us to renew the fleet of school buses and ambulances within the next four years. Of course, all vehicles must be made in Russia.
The Government has already allocated almost 15.5 billion roubles to that end this year. We need to purchase at least 1,600 ambulance vehicles and over 4,000 school buses.
The Government has signed a directive that outlines the distribution of new ambulances between the regions depending on demand, and named those solely responsible for the purchase. The new transport is absolutely crucial for rural and remote areas. Schoolchildren will be able to get to schools, and medical help will arrive faster to those who need it.
It is important to implement these plans in full this year. Therefore, the Government has decided that a 100 percent advance payment will be paid upon signing of these contracts. It will help promptly deliver the money to the manufacturers.
Now let us move on to the current issues related to the implementation of other instructions issued by the President.
The provision of one-time payments of 10,000 roubles began yesterday. The President voiced with this initiative at the United Russia party conference. We have done everything in our power to promptly allocate over 430 billion roubles for this purpose. This money will be provided to pensioners, including working ones, disabled people and families that have lost their breadwinner.
We also provided 21 billion roubles to make payments to pensioners who served in the military or a similar service. They will start receiving these payments soon.
Thus, some 45 million people will receive Government support. The money will be credited to their accounts automatically in a one-stop mode, on the principle of “social treasury.”
Ms Golikova, please report on how this work is proceeding.
Tatyana Golikova: Mr Mishustin, colleagues,
As has already been said, people who get their pensions on their bankcards received the one-time payments of 10,000 roubles, as per the Presidential executive order, on 2 September 2021.
On this day, 302 billion roubles were transferred to 30.2 million Russian citizens. We have not seen any unjustified reversals or rejected transfers. Still, the Pension Fund of Russia is monitoring the situation and has a hotline for addressing any issues that may arise.
People relying on the Russian Post or other delivery services to get their pensions will be receiving this pay-out from today. This amounts to 12.5 million people and a sum of 125 billion roubles.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation transferred the required funds to all the relevant federal agencies so that they could proceed with one-time payments of 10,000 roubles to veterans of the army, law enforcement and security agencies, and a one-time payment of 15,000 roubles to the military and law enforcement personnel. This way, they can start making these payments next week.
We will keep a close eye on these efforts.
Mikhail Mishustin: Let me reiterate that retirees do not have to do anything to receive the payments ordered by the President. The Government has made all the necessary arrangements to make it possible.
Ms Golikova, as you have said, keep please this situation under your personal control. This must be a straightforward, user-friendly experience, especially since we are dealing with the elderly. They need to be shielded from any unnecessary stress.
The Government also has a question dealing with the health of our citizens on its agenda for today. In his address to the Federal Assembly, the President instructed us to implement a set of measures for preventing the spread of new infections.
To do this, we need to be prepared to develop diagnostic tests and effective vaccines in a timely manner, and launch their industrial production within the shortest possible timeframe.
We will earmark 2 billion roubles to this end. This will enable us to create 15 PCR testing centres in major cities by the end of this year, as well as laboratories for the speedy diagnosis of infectious diseases, including the coronavirus. We will also have to equip the quarantine control units with mobile laboratories in order to erect a reliable sanitary shield and safeguard people from infections.
Here is another subject.
The Government’s agenda always prioritises environmental protection and careful nature management. As the President has noted, environmental well-being directly influences people’s health.
People in every Russian region want to drink clean water and to breathe normal air. It is necessary to closely monitor the environmental situation in Russian regions and to conduct better research, so as not to jeopardise the safety of local residents. With this in mind, we will upgrade the technical equipment of the Federal Service for Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor). We will allocate about 1.5 billion roubles for these purposes. The funding will be used to buy new mobile laboratories and to provide them will all the required equipment. Under the President’s instruction, this will make it possible to invigorate the work of the state environmental oversight agency, primarily efforts to monitor facilities negatively impacting the environment.
From now on, Rosprirodnadzor and its divisions will be able to conduct additional laboratory tests and to implement more preventive measures, to carry out onsite inspections for checking every stage of projects to clean up environmental damage caused by the activity of industrial enterprises, and help restore the environment in case of oil spills and other accidents. We hope that the quality of environmental control will improve, and that oversight agencies will be able to respond to any emergencies more quickly.
Yesterday, the Eastern Economic Forum opened in Vladivostok, and its participants are discussing the implementation of major infrastructure projects in the Far East and the Arctic. The President has noted that the priority socioeconomic development of these territories is a state task of primary importance. We are launching the so-called Far Eastern concession mechanism to attract private financial resources to these regions. For this purpose, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic will be authorised to sign concession agreements with the business community. This partnership option will provide state guarantees regarding the repayment of investment and the minimising of risks.
The first five projects worth over 66 billion roubles have already been determined. On the whole, there are plans to sign concession agreements worth about half a trillion roubles in several years. This will make it possible to build new motorways, utilities infrastructure, and power-generating and industrial facilities. We will focus on upgrading the social sphere, primarily hospitals, outpatient clinics, schools, museums, children’s camps and sport facilities.
Infrastructure projects will serve as effective points of growth and economic pillars in 18 Russian regions, from Murmansk to Kamchatka, and they will make it possible to create new production facilities and jobs and to provide comfortable living conditions.
