MOSCOW, November 2 /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Russian ministers on Wednesday to hear their reports on how the presidential instructions set forth in the 2014-2015 state of the nation addresses to the Russian Federal Assembly (parliament) have been implemented.
Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the results of implementation of the basic provisions contained in President Putin’s state of the nation addresses to the Federal Assembly in the two previous years would be the main topics on the agenda of Putin’s meeting with the Russian ministers. He added that ministers in charge of social issues would deliver the main reports.
In his 2014 state of the nation address Putin said that the Russian economy should "get out of the trap of zero economic growth" and start developing at a rate higher than the "world average" in the next three or four years. Putin said that the growth of labor productivity at the annual rate of at least 5% was one of the ways to fulfill the assigned task. It was then that the president suggested full amnesty for capitals, which had flown out of the country, on condition that they would return to Russia.
One of the main tasks set forth in the 2014 state of the nation address was the annual reduction of expenses and ineffective budget spending at least by 5% from then general expenses in real terms. The Russian head of state also called for creating 4.5 million new studying seats to resolve the problem of second and third shifts in Russian schools.
In 2015, Putin suggested responding to the West’s anti-Russian sanctions by expanding economic freedom and improving business climate in Russia. He promised entrepreneurs not to raise taxes in the next few years and put an end to redundant checks. Putin spoke of the need to support Russian agriculture, the construction and machine-building industries and textiles. These tasks are already being implemented in the form of priority projects.
Putin paid special attention to social issues. "It is necessary to support people with low incomes and the most vulnerable categories of citizens. Finally, it is necessary to change over to a fair principle of granting social aid so that it reaches those who really need it," the president stressed. Putin believes that the crisis cannot be a hindrance to implementing his 2012 May decrees and that the program of granting multiple-child allowances (maternity capital) should continue.