Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had a televised interview with 20 Russian channels, government website reported. A broad variety of topics was covered during the meeting. Speaking of the national economy, Medvedev noted its 2019 growth may reach 1.3% while inflation rate should be at 3.8% (the lowest rate in Russia ever), unemployment at 4.7%, budget surplus at 1.8% of GDP. After years of decline, real incomes in the country may grow by 0.2% by the yearend.
According to Medvedev, national “business climate has improved but it is still far from ideal. The reasons include the legislation, which needs improvement, the excessive activity of our law enforcement bodies, and a number of other problems.” He mentioned the government intends to “invest about RUR 1 tln ($15.5 bln) from the National Wealth Fund over the course of the next few years.” Other plans include spending “RUR 550 bln over the next several years to reform and improve primary care. In 2019, government allocated RUR 150 bln ($2.3 bln) from the budget on providing free medication. Next year, RUR 175 bln in total will be spent.”