15 Dec 2021 16:44

Inflation poses serious challenge for implementation of national projects, risks of stalling should be reduced to minimum - Putin

Moscow. Dec 15 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for reducing the risks of construction timelines on projects being built as part of national projects stalling due to inflation, including rising prices for construction materials.

"I'm calling on colleagues to consistently monitor the progress of national projects, to analyze bottlenecks or delays in order to make additional decisions based on an objective picture, factoring in arising problems and difficulties, or course," Putin said during a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects.

This year's inflation on a wide range of goods, including construction materials, has become a serious challenge to their implementation, the president said. "Amid conditions of changing price trends, governors and heads of regions are more and more often reporting on unsuccessful tenders, delays in construction, problems with contractors," he said.

He would not cite reference data regarding price increases for rebar, sheet steel and bitumen, the president said. "You know it well. Such risks need to be reduced to a minimum, and better yet, of course, reduced to zero. All works and facilities planned as part of national projects should be implemented," the president said.

"And I would like to emphasize again that we are not talking about the amount of money allocated and spent, but about the built kindergartens, schools, infrastructure facilities, repaired hospitals and rural medical and obstetric centers, eliminated landfills, and so on," Putin said.

The government should prepared a precise algorithm of action for facilities which are being built on the federal and regional levels, and all participants in this work should understand what actions are needed from them, the president said.