Government meeting

Agenda: budget allocations for the Circle of Kindness state foundation, granting the combat veteran status to citizens who contributed to the special military operation goals outside the battlefield in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, and subsidies for infrastructure development in Russia's Far Eastern regions.

Mikhail Mishustin's opening remarks:

Good afternoon, colleagues.

There are a number of important social issues on the Government's agenda today.

The Government continues its work to support children with life-threatening and chronic disorders. The Circle of Kindness state foundation, established by the President's decision, works to ensure that they receive the necessary therapy. Nearly 2,500 young patients were provided with expensive medicines free of charge by the foundation last year, while about 300 more were provided with the medical devices and rehabilitation equipment they needed.

The list of medicines procured by the Circle of Kindness foundation is consistently expanding. New complex and unique treatment methods are being employed to help its beneficiaries. All this certainly requires additional resources and funds.

This year we will allocate over 24.5 billion roubles to sustain its seamless operation. With federal funding, the foundation will be able to provide treatment to more children with rare and severe conditions.

Now we will turn to another important issue.

The President has underscored that all individuals who fight to defend Russia should receive equal support.

The Government is providing ongoing support to all of them. However, along with military service members and volunteers, we must not forget the civilian personnel of the Armed Forces, doctors, frontline reporters, and employees from various services who have been helping with the post-war revival of Russia's new regions.

The situation in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions was particularly challenging, with the legal regime changing, which required adjustments to the current regulation.

Therefore, the Government decided to grant the combat veteran status to citizens in those two Russian regions who have been contributing to the achievement of the special military operation objectives outside the battlefield. Please note that this regulation already applies to individuals who have worked in the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics.

Under Russian laws, combat veterans are entitled to additional social guarantees such as tax benefits, health resort vouchers, an extraordinary right to buy land as well as a whole range of other benefits and privileges.

It is important to promptly complete all parliamentary procedures to adopt this legislation so that these people can take advantage of the support measures they are entitled to as soon as possible.

The next issue has to do with the development of the Far East.

As the President noted, continued comprehensive improvement of these territories is an undeniable priority for us.

The Government is systematically addressing these issues. We are creating centres of economic growth to improve the quality of life in the macro-region. Recently, we have allocated more than 1.2 billion roubles to this end. The funds were directed, among other things, to the construction of cutting-edge medical facilities and creation of a comfortable urban environment.

This work continues. Today, we will also distribute almost 1.9 billion roubles among the five Far Eastern regions - Buryatia, the Trans-Baikal Territory, the Amur Region, Sakhalin and Chukotka. Subsidies from the federal budget will be used to develop critical infrastructure in those areas, including storm water sewers and treatment facilities, as well as transport infrastructure for tourist and other facilities.

We believe that government funding will help improve living conditions in the Far East, increase the efficiency of the local transport and utilities, promote the development of tourism and related industries, and create new jobs there.

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