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Russia Aims to Reduce Bureaucracy

AP/Na Son Nguyen

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved legislation to reduce bureaucratic hurdles for citizens trying to receive state services. The new law would eliminate the need for over 85 different certificates, known as "spravki" in Russian, which are currently required by a number of federal and municipal authorities. 

Among the listed documents are those dealing with suspended driver's licenses and other traffic violations, criminal record checks, military service, death certificates, and pensions. 

The new measures are expected to make inter-agency cooperation and information sharing more efficient and improve the quality of public services. 

Earlier, Medvedev had promised that Russia will create a unified citizens' information database by 2025. The database will contain personal data on all Russian citizens, living or dead, as well as foreigners permanently residing within Russia. 

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