MAKHACHKALA, July 2 – RIA "Dagestan". Seventeen Russian regions will have two-thirds of their budget loan debt canceled by the federal government, with the write-off totaling close to RUB 17 billion. The measure covers Dagestan, Kalmykia, Mordovia, Amur Oblast, Astrakhan Oblast, Vologda Oblast, Kirov Oblast, Kostroma Oblast, Kursk Oblast, Murmansk Oblast, Penza Oblast, Pskov Oblast, Ryazan Oblast, Jewish Autonomous Region, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Khabarovsk Krai and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
The regions used the funds to implement national target projects, upgrade housing and communal infrastructure and develop key settlements. Resources were also deployed for recapitalizing regional industrial funds, providing guarantees and financial support for investment projects, modernizing public transport and moving people out of substandard housing. As to Mikhail Mishustin, the Russian Prime Minister, the newly freed budget resources can be spent on raising living standards and backing initiatives that promote further economic development in the constituent entities.