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When I was elected, I was given 5 years by law to implement what I planned. And it is impossible to implement all or even a third of what you planned or dreamed of, for a third of this period…

In 2006, I inherited huge problems: the treasury was almost empty, and all the projects that were important to the Kievans, were suspended.

But thanks to the hard work, the budget of Kiev was record-breaking as early as in 2008. It was increased 5 fold compared to the 2005 budget: 25 billion hryvnias against 5 billion hryvnias.

We put a barrier in the way of embezzlement of treasury funds. A significant portion of the increase in budget income in 20 billion hryvnias was brought out of the shadows. We were able to increase the funding of all key areas of urban living manyfold! The costs for the development of housing and utilities infrastructure of the capital alone were increased almost 3-fold, for medicine – 2-fold, for education – 2.4-fold, for the construction of the metropolitan railway – 5-fold.

And at the same time, for some reasons pensioners, veterans, the disabled, and orphaned children belong to the most vulnerable groups in our country. I initiated the payment of municipal benefits to all groups of the Kievans in need of assistance since 2006. An integrated municipal programme “Turbota” (Care) reached more than 600 thousand Kievans. About 450 million hryvnias were allocated for payment of monthly municipal benefits to pensioners from Kiev budget in 2007, and the budget allocations for these purposes increased to 800 million hryvnias in 2008.

In 2007, additional municipal monthly pensions were paid to non-working pensioners who received less than 800 hryvnias of state pension. And in 2008 I was able to make a difference so that monthly pension supplements from the city budget were received by both non-working and working pensioners whose basic state pension didn’t exceed 1,175 hryvnias (up to 2.5 subsistence minimums). It was a breakthrough for Ukraine!

Besides municipal increments to pensions, we were the first in the country to adopt monthly municipal increments to people of important and noble professions – doctors, teachers, social and cultural workers. Thus, the amount of funds allocated from the budget to fund the social security programs for the Kievans from 2006 to 2008, increased 5-fold.

In 2008, 1.8 million hryvnias was allocated to paymunicipal increments to salaries of the teachers who engaged into children’s hobby classes and sports clubs. A monthly municipal increment of 20% of salary was set for the teaching staff. 48,000school students from needy families were provided free breakfast; free meals were also introduced for students of vocational schools. In addition, in 2007, 62% of the Kiev children aged under 6 together with their parents underwent wellness treatments paid by the city budget.

As for the health care workers, a municipal increment amounting to up to 50% of their official salary was established for them. In addition, as part of my other initiative, a program was launched to provide the Kiev teachers and doctors with social housing.

As for the “Social card of the resident of Kiev” – it was designed to help the poor residents of the capital to save their money which they already lacked. That idea was to give people the possibility to get something like a 10 %discount on a product or a service. This card could be used in stores, pharmacies, hairdressers, laundries, dry-cleaners and other establishments of the services sector.

Besides, I realized and I still realize that our future depends on our children. Therefore, as a Mayor of Kiev, I tried to support them in every possible way. I regularly met with young people of Kiev, consulted with them, and employed the best and most talented graduates of metropolitan universities at the Kiev City State Administration.

No one will contradict the fact that teaching is a hard work. And every work should be rewarded. That is why I established scholarships and awards for the best students of the capital. Every year a special commission chose the scholarship holders who received cash awards from me. In 2008, I gave 150 scholarships and awards to the 60 most intelligent, most hard-working and most talented students.

In addition, I was planning to establish a new scholarship of Kiev Mayor – a scholarship with the initiation into a civil service. It was planned to be granted to top 200 students of Kiev who are successful in studies, in public life, are talented and are willing to work in the departments of the Kiev City State Administration.

All of that I’ve briefly outlined to you as my ideas and results of my initiatives testifies that my heart was with the Kievans, and it belongs to them!