The President of Russia

10/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/31/2024 01:33

Meeting with Government members

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues.

Today, we will hear what Oksana Lut has to share with us about the comprehensive development of rural areas to 2030.

But first, we will discuss several urgent issues. Gazprom's gas infrastructure development programme is underway, but there are some more related matters which we need to discuss concerning domestically manufactured heating equipment.

Mr Tsivilev, could you please say a few words about that. How things stand in gas infrastructure development and in general?

Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev Tsivilev SergeiMinister of Energy of the Russian Federation: Mr President, colleagues.

The social programme for installing solid fuel boilers for the households in the Siberian and Far Eastern federal districts is being drafted in accordance with your instruction and the outcomes of the Federal Assembly Address. The point of this programme is to provide our people with efficient, environmentally friendly, and safe coal-fired heating equipment. I am talking about domestically manufactured high efficiency - over 84 percent - solid fuel boilers with automatic fuel feeding.

(The Minister went on to explain that replacing boilers will significantly improve the quality of life. Fuel consumption is cut by 30 to 50 percent, coal loading can be done once every few days, and the automation system maintains a consistent temperature in the room. Safety is enhanced because, unlike a furnace, the boiler is installed in a separate enclosure in an apartment building, or in a shed next to an apartment building. Furthermore, modern boilers are much more environmentally friendly. He also noted that, in accordance with the Presidential instruction, the social gas infrastructure development programme has been successfully implemented since 2020, but it becomes economically unviable in case of a community that is far from the main gas pipeline. In such places, installing solid fuel boilers is a practical solution to address social issues. The programme will primarily benefit entitled groups, such as World War II veterans, participants in the special military operation and their families, large families, and people with disabilities who will have the equipment supplied and installed at no charge.)

We are drafting this programme in cooperation with the Ministry of Construction and other federal agencies and regional authorities. The Lugansk and Donetsk people's republics showed interest in this programme when it was discussed with regional representatives. We are considering bringing Rostec State Corporation into this programme.

We will prepare the package of draft documents by the end of the year, and will begin installing boilers in 2025.

I would like to thank you for supporting this initiative. At least 32 billion rubles have been set aside for this programme by your decision.

Thank you for your attention.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

You mentioned that there are individuals who have the right to receive this equipment free of charge. It is often the case that people are unaware of what they are entitled to, and who qualifies for certain benefits.

Mr Chuychenko, I am aware that you are organising pro bono legal assistance for the public. How is this work progressing?

Minister of Justice Konstantin Chuychenko Chuychenko KonstantinMinister of Justice of the Russian Federation: Mr President, colleagues,

In May 2021, we submitted a report to you, Mr President, regarding the status of pro bono legal aid within the Russian Federation. Let me provide a concise update on the progress made and the challenges that remain outstanding.

Our efforts have been concentrated in three principal domains: enhancement of legal regulation, development of an organisational framework, primarily through the establishment of public law offices, and advancement of informatisation and digital transformation.

With respect to regulatory enhancements, seven federal laws have been enacted based on our recommendations, aimed at broadening the categories of citizens eligible for pro bono legal assistance. This expansion primarily includes servicemen and families of special military operation participants. We are actively collaborating with the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, and we are scheduled to conduct our sixth joint videoconference soon, which is anticipated to attract approximately 800 participants.

Furthermore, we have reinforced the coordinating function of public legal offices and formalised the operations of legal clinics. Presently, public law offices have been established and are operational in 51 regions. When we last reported to you in May 2021, there were 26 such offices.

It is noteworthy that in five regions, including the new regions, public law offices will be established in the near future. Legislation has been enacted in the Donetsk and Lugansk [People's] Republics, as well as in the Kherson Region, with similar legislation forthcoming in Zaporozhye. I anticipate that by the end of this year, or perhaps early next year, public law offices will be operational in these new regions.

(The Minister further elaborated on the implementation of mobile pro bono legal aid offices using vehicles. He projected that by 2025-2026, in collaboration with regional authorities, public law offices would be established in the vast majority of regions, potentially encompassing all regions. Mr Chuychenko also addressed the subject of digitalisation, specifically highlighting the development of the Legal Aid information system, currently operational in ten pilot regions, and the ВПРАВЕ.РФ legal education portal, which features over 200 real-life scenarios accessible for public consultation. Plans are underway to expand this to a thousand scenarios next year, utilising artificial intelligence technologies.)

As of today, the number of pro bono legal assistance cases stands at approximately one million for 2024. For context, this figure was around 300,000 in 2021.

Looking ahead, I am confident that upon the system's full implementation, we will be able to provide assistance in several million cases, considering the 32 million citizens currently eligible for pro bono legal aid.

This concludes my report. Thank you for your attention.

To be continued.