Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the Council of Legislators, comprised of leaders of the bicameral Federal Assembly (State Duma and Federation Council), major committee heads, and various representatives of state power on April 27, and reviewed the domestic component of his Federal Assembly speech of April 21. His main point of emphasis was the government-subsidized loan program for large regional infrastructure projects.
The plan is “To carry out large projects in the regions that are important for their residents,” Putin told the legislators, “including via infrastructure budget loans that will be granted to the constituent entities for 15 years at an interest rate of no more than 3 percent. I would like to repeat that this is a new and powerful development tool, and I hope it will be powerful. It must start working for the benefit and in the interests of the people. Hence, priority investment areas and specific projects must be determined with due account for the opinions of the people that live there. I would like to ask you, colleagues, as a representative authority, to keep this issue under special, constant control and to strictly monitor the fulfilment of all the decisions made on social support for the people.”
