Prime Minister Vladimir Putin conducts a working meeting with Pension Fund Chairman Anton Drozdov

The discussion focussed on ways of improving the Russian pension system. Vladimir Putin said: “The number of pensioners in Russia this year is the largest it has ever been,” but the government will definitely honour all its obligations to this group of people.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin holds working meeting with head of Norilsk Nickel Vladimir Strzhalkovsky

The main topic for discussion was on how to improve the environmental situation in Norilsk. In addition, the prime minister wanted to know how a series of social issues at the enterprise were being addressed. The subject of resettling workers who wanted to move to other regions in Russia when they finished working at the company also came up.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visits the Kiselyov Saratov Youth Theatre during his working visit to the Saratov Region

Vladimir Putin inspects new building for servicemen in Engels

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on housing construction for military personnel in the city of Engels

“We have every reason to believe we can solve the issue of providing permanent accommodations for Defence Ministry military personnel in the near future, either in late 2012 or in early 2013,” Vladimir Putin said.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Government Presidium

“We are introducing a rule under which all government and municipal agencies will have to purchase automobiles produced exclusively within the Common Economic Space (Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan) with money provided from the budgets at all levels.”

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin meets with museum workers during his working visit to Saratov

“Budget allocations for museum activities will almost quadruple within the next six years. I would like to call your attention to this fact: they will quadruple to exceed 67 billion roubles.”