Mishustin reported to the State Duma on the work of the government for 2023 – Kommersant

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin reported that at the end of 2023, Russia’s GDP grew by 3.6%, while in developed countries this figure averaged 1.6%. According to him, this ratio “has become one of the consequences of sanctions, which inevitably hit the economy of their initiators.” He announced these data during a speech in the State Duma with a report on the government’s work for 2023. Mr. Mishustin reported that in January 2024, the GDP growth rate was 4.6%.

The main points of the Prime Minister’s speech on economic indicators:

• industrial production in 2023 grew by 3.5%, the main driver was the manufacturing sector (+7.5%), the mechanical engineering complex showed the greatest growth – more than 21%;
• unemployment was halved to 3%;
• federal budget revenues exceeded 29 trillion rubles, increasing by almost 5% in annual terms;
• non-oil and gas revenues increased by a quarter compared to 2022;
• annual inflation slowed to 7.4% (compared to 11.9% a year earlier).

ABOUT improving the welfare of Russians:

• the increase in insurance pensions totaled 15% (they were also increased for 2024);
• the minimum wage for the current year has increased by more than 18%;
• Thanks to the hiring incentive program, 50 thousand people found jobs.

About help families with children:

• a single monthly benefit was assigned to almost 11 million children;
• the monthly allowance for child care up to one and a half years old has almost doubled in 2024, to about 50 thousand rubles;
• life expectancy in Russia reached almost 73.5 years;
• As part of the overhaul program for educational institutions, over 4 thousand buildings were cleaned up.

About development infrastructure:

• in 2023, over 110 million square meters were built. m of housing, which was a record;
• living conditions improved for almost 4.5 million families;
• More than 31 thousand km of highways have been created and repaired throughout the country;
• During the year, runways in nine cities were reconstructed and put into operation.

About strengthening technological sovereignty:

• the government is forming projects to organize its own production of “significant types of high-tech products,” including microelectronics components, gas turbines, and medical equipment;
• 10 initiatives for the development of end-to-end technologies were launched, the volume of their funding amounted to about 137 billion rubles.

About support regions:

• over four years, the consolidated budget revenues of the constituent entities increased by 50%, the volume of investments increased by almost two-thirds;
• in 2023, about 64 billion rubles were allocated from the federal budget. for the development of rural areas;
• Last year, almost 40% more houses were connected to gas than in 2022;
• MFC branches were deployed in new regions, about 2.5 million local residents received various payments;
• the territories of four new regions received the status of a free economic zone; 1 billion rubles were sent to the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions, as well as Crimea, this money went towards grants for enterprises and financing on preferential terms.

ABOUT military operation in Ukraine:

• the production of military vehicles and armored weapons was increased threefold, weapons of destruction – sevenfold, communications equipment, electronic warfare and reconnaissance – ninefold;
• the procedure for issuing a combat veteran’s certificate has been simplified;
• participants in the military operation will be exempt from property taxes, and they will also be given advantages when enrolling in universities.

About the extension interaction with friendly countries:

• a strategy for the development of foreign economic activity has been approved, it is designed until the end of the decade;
• the total real GDP of the Eurasian Economic Union grew by 3.8% in 2023;
• Russian trade turnover with CIS countries grew by almost 6% last year.

The Prime Minister also said that the authorities were able to “stop the West’s attempts to organize a blockade of Russian foreign trade.” According to him, trade turnover with friendly countries exceeded $548 billion and “is comparable to the volume of Russia’s trade with the whole world, which was four years ago ($568 billion).”

This week the Kremlin published a list of Vladimir Putin’s instructions to the government. De facto, this is a detailed program for the work of the executive branch until 2030 by the presidential administration and the White House, generally described in the message to the Federal Assembly. It will cost 6 trillion rubles. additional budget expenses. In particular, 2.2 trillion rubles. instructed to spend on adapting the economy – industrial and environmental modernization and domestic tourism.

Details – in the material “Kommersant” “Six-year price list”.

Laura Keffer