Translated material
Muses will get it
The government increases funding for culture and is not afraid of the financial consequences of the war with Georgia
Yesterday the last meeting of the commission on budget plans took place before the federal budget for 2009-2011 was submitted to the government. And although it is believed that “when the guns speak, the muses are silent,” the war in South Ossetia could not divert attention from cultural problems - the main decision of the commission was the approval of the Ministry of Culture’s application to increase funding for 2010-2011.First of all, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin supported the request of the relevant ministry. “I immediately want to determine my attitude towards the Ministry of Culture’s application and consider it necessary to support an increase in funding for this area,” said the head of the cabinet. From the very beginning, significant funds were planned for 2009 to complete the reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater and the construction of a new stage of the Mariinsky Theater, but since 2010 the amount of funding has been falling.
“We must admit that in addition to these leading objects in the country there are many others, and it is necessary to maintain the achieved level of funding, direct funds to other objects, to other subjects,” the prime minister called. Yesterday it was decided that in 2010 an additional 14.9 billion rubles will be allocated from the federal budget. for these purposes, and in 2011 - 21.5 billion rubles. Additionally allocated federal funds will be used for grants to creative groups, restoration of museums, theaters, and other facilities, construction of new buildings and institutions, and implementation of planned cultural events. In general, in 2009, expenses on culture increased by 20.9% compared to 2008 and amounted to 113.9 billion rubles.
On August 21, the final draft budget will be considered at a government meeting, and on August 26 it will be submitted to the State Duma. As the prime minister, who is also the head of the commission, said, “the main issues regarding this document have been practically resolved, including within the framework of the so-called zero reading with the participation of representatives of the State Duma and the Federation Council.” “Proposals to increase spending on pensions and medicines, wages for federal public sector employees, support for agriculture, the development of a network of federal universities, and a number of other important objects and areas of our activity have been taken into account,” Mr. Putin recalled what the commission had been working on for the previous six months . The Prime Minister especially noted such new areas of spending as the program to promote a healthy lifestyle, smoking cessation and excessive alcohol consumption, for which 830 million rubles were allocated for the first time in 2009. There is also a significant increase in funding for medical care for patients with cancer (by 6.3 billion rubles in 2009) and measures to reduce mortality from diseases of the cardiovascular system (up to 3.2 billion rubles for 2009 as a whole).
At the briefing after the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin was very cheerful, despite Monday's busy schedule. He once again confirmed that a resolution had already been adopted to allocate 500 million rubles. North Ossetia to support refugees and “to ensure balanced development of the region itself.” But for this purpose, the federal budgets - neither 2008 nor 2009-2011 - will be revised; funds will be allocated from the fund to ensure the balanced development of the constituent entities. In addition, according to Mr. Kudrin, the Federal Migration Service will require “small resources”; they will be raised from unused funds in other areas. “There will be no need for additional expenses yet,” the Deputy Prime Minister is confident.
As for 10 billion rubles. for the restoration of South Ossetia - an amount that the Prime Minister announced more than once during the day - these funds will be reserved in the 2009 budget. Alexey Kudrin does not rule out that additional allocations may be provided for in the current year’s budget. “Of course, restoration will need to start this year, there will be a billion, two, three. How much - we need to decide, then we will make clarifications in the 2008 budget. I don’t rule out that it could even be a plus of 10 billion.” These amounts did not cause much concern to the Minister of Finance, who is usually ready to fight for every penny. Moreover, Mr. Kudrin recalled that 10 billion is planned only for the first stage.
Alexey Kudrin announced the main parameters of the budget for 2009-2011. Next year, federal spending on culture, health care, education and national defense will be significantly increased. Spending on national defense in 2009 will increase by 23.1% and amount to 1.266 trillion rubles, on health care will increase by 19.2% and amount to 357 billion rubles, on education - by 24.9%, 432.2 billion rubles . It is planned to allocate 1.085 trillion rubles for security and law enforcement activities in 2009, which is 30.6% more than in the current year. The head of the Ministry of Finance once again emphasized the increase in spending on culture, cinematography and the media - the increase in spending for these purposes will be 20.9%, and the total amount is almost 114 billion rubles.
“We will maintain the social pension at the subsistence level until 2011, and accordingly the basic pension will be higher in this regard. In general, our task in the near future is to come to an additional solution to increase pensions,” the minister switched from circuses to bread. Pension costs will increase in 2009 by 31 billion rubles, in 2010 - by 180 billion, in 2011 - by 360 billion rubles. This year, 12 new federal target programs have been approved, which in the field of education provide for the development of a network of federal universities, renovation of educational buildings and dormitories, development of a scientific base, and training of highly qualified personnel. In healthcare, a new program for cancer care for the population has been adopted, for which 6.3 billion rubles will be allocated in 2009, 7.2 billion in 2010, and 7.7 billion rubles in 2011. Among other federal targeted programs is the Kaliningrad city development program.
In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister promised that the war with Georgia would not lead, as he put it, to fluctuations in the Russian economy. And the national currency, which fell in price in two days of trading since the start of the peacekeeping operation of Russian troops in South Ossetia by 1 rub. 26 kopecks, according to Mr. Kudrin, is in a “reliable corridor.”