国际英语新闻：Putin: Russia to allocate $45 bln for anti-crisis package

MOSCOW, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The Russian government will allocate 1.5 trillion rubles (45 billion U.S. dollars) this year to deal with the impact of the global financial and economic crisis, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

    Of the 1.5 trillion rubles, 379 billion would be transferred to pension fund and extra-budgetary funds, 150 billion would be provided to the provinces, and another 150 billion would be extended in loans, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Putin as saying.

    That would ensure the implementation of all social programs, Putin said.

    He also noted that the government will submit the adjusted draft budget and the anti-crisis plan for 2009 together to the State Duma.

    He hoped that experts and public organizations would broadly discuss the adjusted draft budget and the anti-crisis plan, and come up with some "constructive proposals."

    The Russian government in the future "will be making further adjustments and additions to the anti-crisis programs depending on the situation in the global and Russian economy," said the prime minister.