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Return to winter time approved at talks with members of Cabinet — MP

The State Duma has suggested to the Cabinet that the problem of the return to winter time should be settled within a month

© ITAR-TASS/Vladimir Astapkovich

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Kremlin administration supports bill on return to daylight saving time

MOSCOW, April 23. /ITAR-TASS/. Deputies of the State Duma have reached an agreement with the government on the return to "winter time" by a resolution to be passed by the Cabinet, First Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee on Health Protection Nikolai Gerasimenko said on Wednesday.

"The Cabinet said yes at the talks," Gerasimenko told ITAR-TASS. "We do not withdraw the bill on the return to winter time from the agenda, but we have delayed the bill until the government adopts its resolution. A preliminary agreement has been reached, and the government will adopt the resolution," Gerasimenko said.

The Duma has suggested to the Cabinet that the problem of the return to winter time should be settled within a month. This proposal has been included in a draft resolution that the State Duma will discuss Wednesday and then turn it over to the Cabinet for approval, he said.

"Today, we will pass a resolution demanding to change within a short timeframe the previous resolution adopted by the government on time measurements in Russia," Gerasimenko said.

A seasonal switchover between winter and daylight saving time had always aroused strong criticism in society. Many people in Russia complained of health problems they developed over this period.

In February 2011 Dmitry Medvedev, who was President of the Russian Federation then, announced his decision to cancel switching to winter time. Russia, which switched over to daylight saving time for the last time on March 27, 2011, made no more attempts to return to traditional yearly switch between winter and daylight saving time.

The Russian Federation is the only country that lives to daylight saving time the year round.

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