Vladimir Putin Indicates Importance Of Reforming Housing And Municipal Services

Vladimir Putin has stressed the importance of reforming housing and municipal services. Answering in a live TV broadcast on the two main Russian TV channels, ORT and RTR, to questions put by citizens, the President pointed out that the money which the state allocates for the sphere, including from the federal budget, should not go to local enterprises-monopolists, no matter private or public they may be, but directly to people -- owners of housing. According to him, citizens will accumulate this money on their special personal accounts, create companies of the users or owners of housing and will themselves order these services. In this case the money allocated by the state will work more efficiently, the President said. We will need 2O percent less means than we today spend on this sphere, he stressed. Vladimir Putin drew attention to another important fact for our country, whose population is not rich in general -- the state assistance will be provided to those people who need it. The citizens with high incomes will pay fully for these services, the head of state pointed out.