During the meeting, Prime Minister Putin said some 10.5 million people have been moved to new housing under a dilapidated housing renovation programme launched in 2007 and that an additional 15 billion roubles would be allocated for its implementation before the end of this year.

Governor Betin said that 400 more residents of the Tambov Region will be able to move out of dilapidated housing this year. Mr Putin praised the regional government for its contribution to the programme and pledged 269 million roubles in additional funding.

"The programme has been a success here, by and large," he said. "This is precisely why we have decided to increase your funding."

Toward the end of the meeting, Mr Betin and Mr Tsitsin signed a joint financing agreement between the Tambov Region and the Housing and Utilities Reform Fund. Under this agreement, the regional government and the fund will jointly finance the implementation of a regional programme to repair dilapidated apartment buildings.

Transcript of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, our dilapidated housing renovation programme was launched at the end of 2007 and began operating in earnest in early 2008. Quite a lot has been accomplished since then.

First of all, the programme is being implemented throughout Russia, in all 81 regions of the Russian Federation. We set aside 240 billion roubles for its implementation initially, and we've earmarked another 15 billion this year. Some 82,000 apartment buildings have been renovated throughout the country since the programme began, and a total 10.5 million tenants had their housing thoroughly renovated. As many as 143,200 people have been moved out of old, dilapidated buildings into new ones.

In the Tambov Region, too, this programme is underway, and it has had success so far. The governor has decided that it would be wise to focus most of the allocations on repairs. But also several hundred people, 281, have already moved to new housing.

Oleg Betin: Another 400 will be relocated this year.

Vladimir Putin: You still have 220 million roubles left for relocating people this year, and now we're providing an additional 269 million, mainly for repairs.

Mr Betin, I'll repeat that the programme has been a success in your region, by and large. This is precisely why we have decided to increase your funding.

Oleg Betin: Thank you very much, Mr Putin. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Please sign this, and then we can continue our work.

Oleg Betin: You've seen for yourself how positively people are responding to this programme.

Vladimir Putin: Indeed.

(Oleg Betin and Konstantin Tsitsin sign an agreement between the Tambov Region and the Housing and Utilities Reform Fund stipulating that the regional government and the fund will jointly finance the implementation of the regional programme to repair dilapidated apartment buildings.)

Vladimir Putin: I wish you the best of luck!

Oleg Betin: Let's exchange. Thank you very much, Mr Putin.

Vladimir Putin: No problem. We've actually covered all the major issues facing the region. But we'll continue our discussion in the future. Please turn over the documents later on.

Oleg Betin: Thank you.