Putin warns on population decline

[Ferran]

Putin warns on population decline

Mr Putin said Russia was shrinking by 700,000 people a year

Russia's declining population is the biggest problem the nation faces today, President Vladimir Putin has said.

In an annual address to the nation, Mr Putin said falling birth rates and the rise in mortality made Russia's demographic situation "critical".

He outlined a national programme to encourage women to have more children, pledging more state help.

Mr Putin also said Russia should follow America's suit and spend more on its army to be able to defend itself.

He described the US as a "fortress", saying its defence budget was "almost 25 times that of Russia's".

"Their [America's] home is their castle - well done! It means we should build our own house strongly and reliably," Mr Putin said.

He also warned that it was "premature to speak of the end of the arms race" in the world, saying that in fact it was "going faster" and was rising to "a new technological level".

Mr Putin also touched on a wide range of issues, including corruption among Russian government officials, foreign policy and economy.

10-year plan

"The most serious problem in modern Russia is demography," Mr Putin said in his seventh state of the nation address.

The collapse of the USSR plunged many Russians into poverty

He said Russia's population had witnessed an annual decline of 700,000 people, because of low birth rates, high mortality and immigration.

He outlined the 10-year national programme to try to reverse the situation.

One of the key elements of the programme, he said, was an increase in childcare benefits to support young mothers, especially those who had a second child.

Russia's population is currently estimated to be just under 143m people.



Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4757261.stm