Russia to cut ICT spending by 15% to 18.4 bln rubles in 2012
MOSCOW. Sept 21 (Interfax) - Government spending on development of information and communications technologies (ICT) under key programs could total 18.4 billion rubles in 2012, according to Russia's draft federal budget.
The budget draft allocates 9 billion rubles for the federal program for Development of the Electronic Components Base and Radio Electronics (2008-2015), down from 13 billion rubles allocated this year; 2.665 billion rubles for the Information Society (2011-2020) program, down from 3.1 billion rubles; 953 million rubles for the operation of e-government infrastructure, up from 619 million rubles in 2011; and 2.3 billion rubles for the development and operation of a government system to generate, process and control next-generation passport and visa documents, down from 3.5 billion rubles.
These figures differ slightly from those projected for next year in the budget for 2011 and the planning period of 2012 and 2013, which forecast 2012 budgets of 12.7 billion rubles for the Development of the Electronic Components Base and Radio Electronics (2008-2015) program, 2.89 billion rubles for the Information Society (2011-2020) program, 653 million rubles for the operation of e-government infrastructure, and 2.2 billion rubles for next-generation passports.
According to the 2012 draft budget, the government plans to spend 1.99 billion rubles next year on providing high-speed access to information networks via satellite communications systems, and 1.5 billion rubles on programs to build technology parks, the same as in 2011.
In 2007-2010, federal budget spending on technology park programs totalled 6.98 billion rubles, and off-budget investment in such parks amounted to 3 billion rubles last year.
Federal subsidies for this purpose are expected to total 6.09 billion rubles in 2011-2014, or about 1.5 billion rubles annually. The government will also allocate funds for three new technology parks in Togliatti, Naberezhnye Chelny and Penza.
