United Russia members were subjected to self-criticism – Newspaper Kommersant No. 18 (7463) dated 02/01/2023

Three instructions from the program commission of United Russia (ER) were not fulfilled following the results of the work of the Duma United Russia members on the federal budget for 2023. This was announced on Tuesday at a commission meeting by the head of the party executive committee, deputy secretary of the United Russia General Council Alexander Sidyakin. In particular, there was no money in the budget for the “Zemsky Worker of Culture” program, subsidized medicines for people with a high risk of cardiovascular diseases, as well as for supporting children’s recreation and building housing for orphans. Party chairman Dmitry Medvedev regarded these facts as “discredit” and demanded to correct the shortcomings.

“Today, 35 instructions have been fully completed and removed from control, ten instructions have been completed and are proposed to be removed from control following the results of today’s meeting, nine instructions are being implemented on an ongoing basis, for six instructions the deadline has not yet come,” Alexander Sidyakin reported at the meeting on January 31 . According to him, three specific instructions regarding the allocation of budgetary funds for certain initiatives have not been fulfilled (recall that the adoption of the budget by the Duma depends entirely on the vote for it by deputies from United Russia.— “b”).

So, no money was found for the Zemsky Worker of Culture program. 8.18 billion rubles have not been allocated. to provide subsidized medicines to people at high risk of cardiovascular disease – as Mr. Sidyakin explained, “the amendment was rejected due to lack of funds.” The same fate befell the initiative to increase funding for measures to support children’s recreation and construction of housing for orphans, including those from new territories. On all these points, the head of the executive committee proposed to postpone the control period to September 1, 2023.

Dmitry Medvedev, who chaired the meeting, went through each item in a very emotional way.

“According to such an important figure as a zemstvo, rural worker. They took it, came up with this design – but they didn’t give money! Well, what’s the point in that? It’s just discredit! There was no need to think then. It doesn’t fit anywhere!” – he spoke about the first of the outstanding orders. The second point caused no less indignation in him. According to the chairman of the European Union, this problem has been around for many years: advanced heart surgeries are being performed in Russia, but patients do not receive medicines to maintain their condition. “They do an operation, but then they don’t give pills. And without pills, sorry, you can still go to a better world. And that’s wrong too! We need to find this money, these 8.18 billion rubles,” Mr. Medvedev demanded.

On the third order, he spoke somewhat softer, acknowledging that the problem of supporting children is “very difficult”, and suggesting that we return to it. “In general, despite these positions, everyone worked hard. Taking into account that a significant part of the indicators has been achieved, it would be possible to note the leaders, representatives of our party, who made an important contribution to the implementation of the “People’s Program”. Let’s end on this major note, as they say,” the chairman of the party summed up.

A Kommersant source in EP said that the executive committee also singled out the ministries that showed the lowest result in the implementation of the “People’s Program” of the party. So, only 92% of it is carried out by the Ministry of Transport, 87% – by the Ministry of Nature, 60% – by the Ministry of Sports.

The interlocutor of Kommersant also named three coordinators of the directions of the People’s Program, whose activities in the executive committee of the United Russia are still considered the least effective: these are senators Olga Zabralova and Lilia Gumerova, as well as the head of the State Duma committee on ecology Dmitry Kobylkin.

Andrey Vinokurov