MOSCOW, September 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Tuesday he would oversee the activities of both the Finance Ministry and the Economic Development and Trade Ministry in his new post.
Kudrin, who was given the additional role of deputy prime minister in yesterday's Cabinet reshuffle, told journalists that First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev would supervise the Health and Social Development Ministry's work.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Monday Russia's new Cabinet, including new ministers of health, economics, and regional development. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov have been re-appointed to their posts.
The government reshuffle came 12 days after President Putin fired the government, and 10 days after appointing previously unknown financial regulator Viktor Zubkov as prime minister, in place of Mikhail Fradkov.
Former first deputy economic development and trade minister, Elvira Nabiullina, replaced economics minister German Gref, and former first deputy finance minister, Tatyana Golikova, replaced Mikhail Zurabov at the post of the health and social development minister.
Kudrin also said that the Regional Development Ministry will pick up projects to be financed from the Russian Investment Fund. The government had established the fund as a mechanism to finance large-scale infrastructure projects.
Projects to be co-financed from the Russian Investment Fund are chosen through competition, the final decision being taken by a government commission, and should be valued at no less than 5 billion rubles ($200 million). The share permitted for joint projects between the state and private enterprises should be no less than 25% for private investors.
