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In his Annual Address to the Federal Assembly, the President focused on the objectives that concern practically all Russian citizens and families. One of the biggest priorities is giving people access to housing.

The government, regional and local authorities should make it their goal to have at least a third of the population (and not a tenth, as is the case now) able to buy apartments that measure up to modern standards by 2010. People will buy apartments using their own savings and with the help of mortgage schemes, Mr Putin said.

Giving people the opportunity to buy housing and ensuring they have access to education and healthcare services will help alleviate poverty in the country. But only economic growth can provide a genuinely reliable foundation for resolving social problems and fighting poverty, the President said in his Annual Address.