Development economics: Mishustin told the State Duma about overcoming the 200 trillion mark of GDP

Against the background of increased sanctions pressure, the government is betting on sovereignty and increasing the competitiveness of the economy. At the same time, social policy, health care development, and support for ITS participants and their families will remain a priority. This was stated by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on March 26 during a report to the State Duma. He was appointed to the post of prime Minister in 2020, and was re—confirmed in this position last year. So, in part, the report of the head of the cabinet drew a line not only under 2024, but also under the entire five-year plan of his team's work. The State Duma factions supported the work of the government and noted the high level of cooperation. What indicators Mishustin presented to the parliament and what the deputies asked him about are in the Izvestia article.

Results of the Government's work in 2024

Mikhail Mishustin began by saying that Russia's gross domestic product surpassed 200 trillion rubles in nominal terms for the first time in 2024, having doubled since 2020. Such figures were achieved due to the fact that the growth rate of the Russian economy in two years exceeded the European one by almost six times. In 2024 alone, the country's GDP increased by 4.1%, the head of government reported.

— Domestic demand, both investment and consumer, has become the engine of growth. Investments in fixed assets increased by almost 7.5% in real terms last year," the Prime minister noted.

The macroeconomic situation remains stable: last year, federal budget revenues increased by more than a quarter. Against this background, the unemployment rate dropped to a historic low, and the real income growth of the population amounted to 8.5%. Russian exports to friendly countries increased by almost 8.5% by the end of the year, and its share in the total volume of shipments abroad has more than doubled over the past six years, the head of the Cabinet emphasized.

An important topic was the implementation of the national development goals set by the President in May 2024. 19 national projects have been approved for their implementation, Mishustin said.

The first goal is to save people, and the national project "Demography" has been created for this purpose. Since 2022, the government has returned to indexation of maternity capital according to actual inflation. Since its introduction in 2007, about 14.5 million certificates have already been issued, and the program has been extended until 2030, the prime minister noted.

— The main thing is that systematic work is underway to help parents at all levels. And of course, it will definitely be continued. Just as it is now, taking into account the feedback from citizens," Mishustin said.

2024 was declared the year of Defender of the Fatherland by the President. The Government, together with the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, provides participants in a special military operation with a priority right to medical care and education, retraining, and advanced training. Benefits have also been established, including exempting defenders and their families from paying property taxes and a number of duties.

— Today, our guys are on the front line defending the interests of the country. They show real courage in difficult conditions. And our duty is to support the heroes and to take care of them, as well as to take care of their families," Mishustin said, after which there was applause in the audience.

The Prime Minister paid special attention to medicine. Within the framework of the national Healthcare project, more than 10 thousand primary care organizations have been built or repaired, more than 230 thousand units of equipment have been supplied to them, 60% are domestic. Today, the infant mortality rate in the country is the lowest in the entire history of Russia and the Soviet Union, the head of government stressed.

— Any equipment cannot be useful without the talent of doctors and painstaking nursing work. We continue to solve the problem of staff shortages in healthcare. This is an important question. The increase in doctors in two years amounted to 12 thousand people," Mikhail Mishustin noted.

The President identified the realization of each person's potential as another goal. For this purpose, within the framework of national projects, more than 1.7 thousand kindergartens were created throughout the country, more than 1.6 thousand schools were built, and almost 5 thousand were completely modernized. The quality of education is not lagging behind: according to this indicator, Russia is among the top 10 countries in the world, and our students have won only prizes at eight international Olympiads since 2021.

Economic growth is closely linked not only to human capital, but also to infrastructure development. The government continues social gasification, in 2024 it was expanded to horticultural associations, and since 2021, about a million private homes have received gas. In addition, by the end of 2024, more than half of regional roads already meet modern requirements, and more than 85% in large cities with suburbs, the head of government stressed.

After finishing the report, Mikhail Mishustin answered questions from the parliamentary factions. Amid the discussion about the return of Western firms to the Russian market, the prime minister said that the decision on each company would be individually made by a special commission. Foreign firms that left "under pressure from governments" but retained "jobs, contacts, technologies" and the opportunity to return will be able to return. He also noted that the return of companies with unique competencies, but in compliance with localization and investment requirements, would be welcome.

Responding to a question from the head of the State Duma Committee on the Development of Civil Society, Yana Lantratova, the Prime Minister supported the proposal to tighten liability for fraud using artificial intelligence. Russia has approved the concept of a state system for countering crimes that are committed using digital technologies, the Prime minister stressed.

Reaction in the State Duma to the Prime Minister's report

The government has become more open, the dialogue has been built more effectively, and this is the basis not only for mutual trust, but also for development, said Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin. All factions of the lower house of parliament agreed that Mishustin's team is successfully coping with the challenges.

The Government has to work in difficult conditions, fulfilling several goals at the same time. On the one hand, we need to develop the economy, which is under severe sanctions, and take care of our citizens, those who need protection. On the other hand, the Cabinet of Ministers provides for all the needs of the special military operation, including by taking care of the participants of the military operation and their families, Ekaterina Stenyakina, a deputy of the State Duma from United Russia, told Izvestia.

"The Mishustin government is doing an excellent job because we see positive dynamics in the development of the economy, industry and the growth of citizens' incomes," she said.

The government is working as effectively as possible with the United Russia faction. Deputies receive lightning-fast responses and positive decisions to their requests. In response, the party promptly responds to government requests, providing legislative support. In particular, it is considering, as a matter of priority, the bills that the Cabinet of Ministers is waiting for, the deputy summed up.

In his speech, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov noted, in particular, the successes in overcoming the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as ensuring economic growth above the global average, despite the ongoing special military operation.

And the head of the Liberal Democratic Party, Leonid Slutsky, drew attention to the growth of industrial production and technological development. According to him, the faction interacts with the ministers "almost on a daily basis." Slutsky called the support of the relatives and friends of the participants of the SVO, as well as those fighters who return home from the front, one of the most important priorities of the government's work.

Vladislav Davankov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma and first deputy head of the New People faction, told Izvestia that his colleagues had a good working relationship with the Cabinet. In particular, Mikhail Mishustin supported the initiatives of the New People to hold large parliamentary hearings on the development of artificial intelligence and a large audit of preferential tax regimes.

— The issue of migrant control has been raised. The proposal of the "New People" is to introduce a migrant system in which all incoming foreign workers will have to register. The government has already started implementing measures to digitalize migrants: digital patents will appear in June," Davankov added.

Just Russia — For Truth has a positive assessment of the government's social policy, Valery Hartung, deputy head of the faction, told Izvestia. However, the party has proposals for new measures to support families with children, including the allocation of free land or housing certificates. Also, according to the deputies, it is important to overcome social stratification and take control of food prices.

— We need to move forward with the introduction of a progressive income tax scale. The government met it halfway and brought it up to 22%. But I think we can move on to 30% and 35%," says Hartung.

The Prime Minister's report to the State Duma has become an integral feature of the Russian political system. It enables citizens, through their elected representatives, to control the actions of the executive branch. This allows you to keep the work of the Cabinet of Ministers in good shape and correct mistakes in a timely manner. Vladimir Shapovalov, a political scientist and deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State University, told Izvestia that constructive cooperation has been established between the current government and the State Duma.