Agenda: federal draft laws and budgetary allocations
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:
Government meeting
Good afternoon, colleagues.
Yesterday, we visited the Kaliningrad Region and evaluated the work of local enterprises. We inspected a facility for manufacturing crane equipment which is supplied all over Russia and abroad. Considering the regions’ infrastructure renovation tasks, as outlined by the President, demand for these goods will remain high in the future.
We also assessed the work of the radio-electronic industry’s innovative cluster that produces various items, including modern integral microcircuits. This is needed to create our own national components base and to implement import substitution projects.
Support for these measures is an important aspect of the Government’s work to upgrade domestic industry and to create high-tech jobs.
The Baltic Federal University is also doing a lot to train new specialists. It has established substantial research facilities, and its laboratories feature up-to-date equipment. It is now necessary to create favourable living conditions and a top-notch academic environment. Their project for building a new campus should be quickly implemented.
Mr Falkov, I am asking you not to delay the elaboration of all procedures and documents and their coordination.
On the whole, the region is developing dynamically. At our meeting with the governor, we agreed to support road construction projects and to provide modern medical equipment. Specific instructions have been issued following our trip. It is necessary to fulfil them without delay.
I would like to mention some other important decisions.
At the President’s instruction, the Government is expanding the soft mortgages programme. Now it is possible to use them for buying private homes.
The programme was launched last year in order to support the people and the construction industry. Our people showed strong interest in it because it became possible to buy newly-built flats at no more than seven percent annual interest. And the soft mortgages programme was extended for another year, until 1 July 2022.
The same terms will now apply to private housing construction. Many people wishing to live in their own homes will be able to take out such mortgages.
Additionally, the Government has adjusted the terms of the Far Eastern Mortgage programme. From now on, young families living in single-industry towns will be able to buy housing on favourable terms not only in new residential buildings but also on the secondary market. This comes as an important change for residents of sparsely populated territories that simply don’t implement any new construction projects.
And here is another decision in this sphere.
The Government continues to support large families. Under the President’s decision, the state helps parents bringing up three or more children to repay their mortgages either completely or in part, provided that the youngest child was born after 1 January 2019. Each family will be able to receive 450,000 roubles.
Today, we will allocate another 14.5 billion roubles to reimburse them for housing mortgage payments. This will make it possible to help over 32,000 parents with many children.
This mortgage benefit has already become one of the most popular state support measures. Quite a few large families are involved in this programme. Consequently, the Government has expanded its funding by over 50 percent on 2020, to reach 69 billion roubles.
The Government continues to implement tasks set by the President. Efforts to help Russian citizens stay healthy and to save human lives are our priority.
In autumn, we face an upsurge in seasonal diseases. High risks persist due to the spread of the COVID-19 infection. Today, we will set aside over 47 billion roubles for paying sick leaves.
It is important that people be able to quickly obtain sick leaves without delay and to get the relevant payments.
I am asking the Ministry of Finance to help quickly fulfil this directive and to transfer the required sums to the Social Insurance Fund as quickly as possible.
