Page 49 - RusRPTFeb22

Client-oriented State (Deputy PM Grigorenko)
National Innovation System (Deputy PM Chernyshenko)
The date for delivering this strategy to the government for approval is May 14th 2021, which is not much time given that all measures have to be approved by all interested ministries and signed off by the Ministry of Finance. In principle though the government has been working on projects along these lines since July, so most of the work should have been done. It is likely that bureaucratic issues with this strategy led to Mishustin getting rid of four ministers in November. It means that those who are left should be fully committed to the program and to cooperating with each other.
Some details have been published. Few details have leaked out from the government meetings. What has been reported is:
The National Innovation System team is headed by German Gref, as well as the co-founder of IBS IT Services, Sergey Matsotsky and Alexander Galitsky, founder of Almaz Capital Partners, a Russian investment fund.
The New High-Tech Economy project is to be headed by Boris Kovalchuk, the CEO of state-owned power company Inter RAO and the son of Yuri Kovalchuk, co-owner of Rossiya Bank.
The “New Social Contract”, which envisages the introduction of a universal family allowance – not for everyone, but only for the “needy”, who will have to be identified according to the “know your client” principle. Direct payments and provision of food for the poor should become the components of the new social contract. The materials do not say anything about aid to other categories of citizens in the context of the new social contract.
Clarifying objectives stated:
Law enforcement and the judicial system are to be reformed as part of the effort to improve confidence and the business climate. It is clear that investors are very often reluctant to invest and take a defensive position to protect existing businesses rather than taking expansionist positions to grow their businesses. This attitude acts as a brake on growth and once a business gets to the size where it is providing the owner a good living it stops growing.
Another goal in the new look national projects program is to reduce the state’s share in the economy and at the same time to use the potential of state-owned companies to "accelerate digital development” to make
49 RUSSIA Country Report February 2022 www.intellinews.com