President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good evening, Mr Volodin.
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin: Good evening, Mr President.
Vladimir Putin: I understand that we wanted to discuss the results of our work during the past period.
Vyacheslav Volodin: Yes, we did.
Mr President, we concluded the autumn session and our entire 12-month tenure as of yesterday. While plenary sessions have wrapped up, deputies will continue working in their electoral districts, meeting with constituents. Until the New Year, the State Duma will operate in the format of the regional outreach week.
Looking at the year’s results, it has been a demanding one, but we can already talk about the outcomes. The autumn session is typically tied to the adoption of the budget, a particularly critical and significant document during such challenging times. In an era of unprecedented challenges, we must ensure that all presidential decisions and commitments to the citizens are fully met.
We also focused on addressing issues related to the country's development and ensuring that all necessary support is provided to participants in the special military operation.
As of today, we can say that all these goals were achieved during the budget review. Guarantees were secured, and the necessary funds were allocated to fulfil the President's instructions, including pension indexation for working retirees. Starting next year, this measure will benefit a significant number of our citizens – 7.8 million working pensioners – who, under your initiative and the corresponding legislation, which we have called the Putin Law, will receive indexed pensions.
Next year, the budget also provides for raising the minimum wage, which will increase to 22,440 rubles. This is a major decision, especially during a period marked by numerous challenges, and we are grateful that this solution was found and reflected in the budget.
When we talk about the autumn session, the budget was one of the most critical documents under discussion. Beginning in August, it underwent extensive review throughout September, October and November, and we adopted it in November.
To be continued.