RUSSIA, March 13 - The meeting took place as part of the preparations for the Government’s annual report to the State Duma.

Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:

Good afternoon, colleagues.

Today we begin our traditional meetings with deputies that take place ahead of an important event, the Government’s annual report to the State Duma.

As the President said in his Address to the Federal Assembly, this is a time of radical changes in the world.

In such circumstances, we have everything we need to act promptly and confidently, implementing the instructions of the President and carrying out all the tasks we have at hand. This has been made possible to a large extent due to the effective support provided to the Government by United Russia, the constitutional majority faction.

Your deputies’ active stance not only makes it possible to adopt laws that are crucial for our country’s social and economic development, but also provides feedback to people in each Russian region. This, in turn, significantly increases the quality of parliamentary supervision of the adopted regulatory acts and helps adjust and regulate the existing legislation in the interests of our people in a timely fashion.

On a separate note, I would like to highlight the party parliamentary group’s effective interaction with the ministries and agencies, including the State Duma committees, during parliamentary hearings and in the working groups on the most important issues. You offer important initiatives and constructive criticism and, most importantly, a responsible approach to making the most important decisions.

This is the approach the group was guided by when preparing the three-year federal budget for the current year and two years after that, which made it possible to appropriate funds from the country's budget for fulfilling social commitments to our citizens and strengthening the country's technical and economic sovereignty, as well as for ensuring the Russian regions’ system-wide advancement.

Colleagues, I would like to thank you and your colleagues from the parliamentary group for the support you provided in implementing the President's instructions to increase the amount of funds for infrastructure upgrades in the regions. I’m talking about dedicated treasury loans that are being issued for this.

United Russia deputies were likewise instrumental in having additional appropriations allocated for upgrading mass transit which is a sensitive issue for many regions, and the work on this continues.

Much has been done to speed up the integration of the four new regions whose residents need special attention and support. A number of initiatives put forward by the deputies helped the Government quickly put together draft laws that provide pension and social guarantees for the people in the new regions, as well as, of course, the usual support for culture, education and scientific research.

Specific industries have not been forgotten either. A systematic approach in agriculture is paying off with record-high crops. We were aware that last autumn we had the highest grain harvest in decades. But recently, just the other day, Rosstat ran the numbers, and we now have the exact figure which stands at 157 million tonnes of grains. The farmers owe this success to unyielding and long-term support provided by the state and the strong engagement of the parliament and United Russia deputies.

The Government appreciates its relationship with your parliamentary group, which makes it possible for the legislators and agencies to resolve the most challenging issues, such as supporting families with children. A law drafted by United Russia which allows parents to stay in a hospital with their disabled children for free is now in force.

The age of children eligible for free commuter train travel was increased. This is another project of yours that became a regulatory act.

The group proposes and supports numerous other initiatives, including in education. Federal laws have been adopted that help relieve what is known as the paperwork burden on teachers.

Volunteers have received additional guarantees as well. A newly adopted regulation gives them an opportunity to take out life or health insurance and to receive compensation in the event of an insured occurrence.

We put our focus on ways to support the participants of the special military operation and their families. They have been granted privileges in education, healthcare services, entrepreneurship, lending and taxation.

Today, ahead of the report, I would like to discuss in detail the proposals we have on the table, including the ones submitted by your parliamentary group.