Putin admits that all his proposals will cost the state a lot of money.
- By Carl Schreck
Putin critics raising question of whether his announced hot-lunch program for schools will be a handout for Yevgeny Prigozhin, the tycoon known as "Putin's chef" who is thought to control the St. Petersburg "troll factory" and the notorious Vagner private military contractor. Prigozhin's food-services company was blamed by Navalny's anti-corruption foundation for a food-poisoning outbreak in Moscow schools and kindergartens, an allegation the company denied.
Mediazona's editor in chief tweets a photo of Prigozhin and writes: "Russians enthusiastically embraced Putin's appeal regarding free hot lunches in schools":
Said more must done to provide housing for doctors in rural locations.
Said even local clinics must have modern equipment and high-speed Internet.
Notes that people everywhere criticize their local health-care system. Says that people in Russia do not evaluate the health-care system based on average figures for the country, but based on their own experience -- how far they must travel, how long they must wait, etc. Says more must be done to improve "the frontlines" of health care.
Now turns attention to improving life expectancy in Russia, which he says is now more than one year longer than it was in 2000. Attributes it to various state policies.
Says state must work to create/develop institutions of higher education in the regions so that students can study in the regions where they were born and don't have to leave them.
Says demand for places in institutions of higher education is also growing (as a result of the rising birth rates in the 2008-18 period) and state must prepare for that.