Putin urges quick change to 2002 budget to make social payments

[ChrisD(RJ)]

Putin urges quick change to 2002 budget to make social payments
The Russian government and the Duma, the lower house of parliament, should
urgently start working on amending the 2002 federal budget to ensure various
social payments, President Vladimir Putin said Monday at a regular meeting
with key ministers.
He said the necessity of amending the budget was primarily caused by the
need to ensure timely social payments to the military and some other
categories of the population.
Putin said he was confident that the government and the Duma would find ways
to pass all changes within a fairly short period of time.
Putin also said that the government should start actively working on the
2003 budget this month.
In May, Putin signed into law a bill increasing military wages. The law
brings military wages in line with those of state employees. The military
wage hikes are to be carried out in two stages - on July 1, 2002, and Jan.
1, 2003.
Prime TASS