Putin calls for increasing the maternal capital subsidy by 150,000 rubles and that it should be annually indexed for inflation.
- By Carl Schreck
As Putin discusses low wages and demographics, Navalny's branch in St. Petersburg needles Putin's longtime confidant -- Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, a lightning rod for opposition allegations of cronyism in the president's circle -- over his tanned face, implying he took a sunny vacation somewhere: "Igor Sechin had a nice holiday."
After a third child, the government pays 450,000 rubles off a family's mortgage. Overall, the subsidy for a family with three children will be more than 1 million rubles.
Putin suggests providing hot meals for all students in the first through fourth classes.
- By Carl Schreck
These subsidies are very popular among Russians, and this move is likely to a domestic political winner for Putin.
Says the necessary infrastructure of kitchens and cafeterias needs to be built in all schools across the country so that free meals can be provided by the beginning of the 2023 school year.
- By Mike Eckel
Putin is definitely going deep in the weeds on the issue of "maternal capital" and how the government payments and subsidies will be structured in coming years.
Among other things, he's proposing what amounts to a 50 percent increase in such subsidies.
His discussion of how mortgage rates vary from region to region is also very deep in the nuts-and-bolts of social policy.
And that's before he pivots to the question of "free quality hot meals" at Russian schools around the country.
He says the government should guarantee free hot means for all students in grades 1 through 4.
Says every child, no matter where they live, should have the opportunity to receive a quality education.
Urges the government to determine how many new schools are needed for the growing student population.
Say that almost all schools in Russia now have access to the Internet, but that now they must all have high-speed connections.