OREANDA-NEWS. December 8, 2008. Russian government is streamlining federal programs and programs of state-run companies and infrastructural monopolies, PM Vladimir Putin said at a Cabinet meeting devoted to economic issues. In addition, Putin stressed that “we cannot and will not revise our obligations to citizens, plans to roll out social industries and the pension system”.

According to him, it is necessary to implement large infrastructural projects, the absence of which could hinder development of the national economy further down the road, after the crisis. Vladimir Putin said that resources should be recalculated in all other segments, and we should “opt for difficult, but necessary, decisions to contain costs”.