Natural administrative resource

The Cabinet of Ministers will send money via a “direct line”

“Putin’s Plan” should be in every minister’s portfolio, and he (the minister) must know it by heart. Obviously, Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov headed the cabinet so that the president’s words do not diverge from deeds. That's what the executive power is - they gave the order and go ahead. Yesterday, the prime minister began a government meeting with a reminder of the main thing: “Exactly a week ago there was a direct line between the president and the population , during which a package of instructions was formulated, where the head of state accumulated the questions and problems that concern the citizens of our country.” “The deadlines are quite strict,” Mr. Zubkov said sternly. “Therefore, in this regard, I ask you to take the instructions into action and ensure their effective implementation.” Evil tongues say that the ministers looked together and sympathetically at the country's main financier, Alexei Kudrin, who yesterday, in fulfillment of another presidential order, had already parted with the 138 billion rubles missing from the Pension Fund. for 2008. And all contrary to the initially adopted budget.

However, in addition to responsibility for the “Putin Plan,” ministers periodically report for themselves. Yesterday, the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Yuri Trutnev, spoke about the work done and the department’s prospects for the next three years. Since after the entry into force of the Water and Forestry Codes hisdepartment mainly focused on the subsoil , Mr. Trutnev paid the most attention to this topic.

He gave figures on how the treasury would be replenished from the subsoil. The creation of 10-12 new production centers will give an increase of half a trillion rubles. And from the transfer of rights to use subsoil plots, the budget will receive 120 billion rubles over three years. According to the minister, things seem to be getting better with geological exploration. In 2004-2006, 127 billion rubles were attracted to this area. private investment. And in 2008-2010 this figure will increase 3.5 times and amount to approximately 450 billion rubles.

Mr. Trutnev also dreamed that the Lomonosov Ridge on the shelf of the Arctic Ocean, where Russia recently equipped an Arctic PR expedition, could become ours, Russian. The potential here is enormous - 5 billion tons of equivalent hydrocarbon fuel, the minister explained.

While we are trying to “catch on” to the Lomonosov ridge in the field of international law, the Ministry of Natural Resources continues to rather harshly polish domestic legislation in terms of access of foreign companies to our deposits. And especially to the shelf. “Russian companies with state participation will enjoy preferences in the development of the Russian shelf,” Mr. Trutnev said without any delicacy. He also made it clear that the amendments prepared by the Ministry of Natural Resources to the law “On Subsoil” will have nothing in common with liberal market approaches.

Vremya Novostey's source in the Ministry of Natural Resources reported that “the changes in the admission of foreigners are very serious; there simply will not be access to strategic areas.” “Such an ideology is already in effect in both the United States and Europe,” noted the same source. Amendments to the Ministry of Natural Resources are expected in the State Duma in a week. So foreign investors who complained to the Prime Minister about Mr. Trutnev and his “secret package” have only a short time to wait before the unpleasant moment of the announcement of a wide list of “non-admissions” and a small list of admissions.

Yuri Trutnev also spoke about his real big bureaucratic victory. “The oil rims of the Chayandinskoye field (50 million tons) will be put up for auction in the first quarter of next year,” the minister said. In other words, it was not in vain that the Ministry of Natural Resources worked on auctions and the rules for issuing licenses. Everyone will now have to listen to Mr. Trutnev, even Gazprom, which wanted to make do with a direct decision of the cabinet of ministers in the struggle for control over this field.

Vera KUZNETSOVA