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Here are some of the events due in Russia in 2011.

The year 2011 will be the Year of Cosmonautics in Russia to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight.

The following federal laws and norms will enter into force on January 1, 2011.

The childbirth allowance will grow from 10,989 rubles to 11,700, while the maternity capital -money paid to the mother of a second, third and so on child - will go up from 343,779 rubles to 365,700 rubles.

The Federal Law on Additional Social and Financial Security of Certain Categories of Coal Industry Workers will nearly double pensions of coal miners. At present, an average monthly pension of coal miners is about 9,000 rubles (about $300).

Amendments to the Federal Laws on State Social Assistance will enable federal benefit holders to swap some of their benefits, such as free drugs or free rehabilitation, for money. Nowadays only the whole package of benefits may be exchanged for money.

The monthly amount of free medical aid to children will disabilities will grow.

Russia will start to implement the program "Accessible Environment" for the period of 2011-2015. The program aims at the successful rehabilitation of people with disabilities, their broad access to services and facilities, and better life quality.

Laws regulating the formation of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, will be amended. Starting from January 1, 2011, the house will be formed from deputies of regional and municipal legislative assemblies.

An independent state entity, the Investigations Committee, the legal successor to the Prosecutor General's Office Investigations Committee, will start to function on January 1, 2011.

A law reforming public sector organizations in Russia will enter into force on January 1. Such organizations will have the right to engage in commercial activity and to spend the money they make. There will be a new type of state and municipal entities, which will operate in the sphere of national defense and security.

Regional healthcare modernization programs will be launched in 2011. In all, the federal budget will assign 460 billion rubles for modernization of healthcare institutions nationwide in 2011-2012. The programs will be funded with subsidies from the Federal Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund, territorial compulsory medical insurance funds and consolidated budgets of regions.

The Federal Law on Compulsory Medical Insurance will enter into force on January 1. A unified database of insured individuals will be formed, and unified compulsory medical insurance policies with the indefinite period of validity will be issued. These documents will be valid in any region of the country, for both state-run and private healthcare establishments linked to the compulsory medical insurance system.

Regulations for paid sick leaves and pregnancy and childbirth allowances will change, too. The allowance paid to the expectant and new mothers will be based on their average salaries in the past two years instead of one.

Territorial bodies of the Federal Migration Service will be fully in charge of the registration of permanent and temporary residence of citizens starting from January 1.

In addition, citizens seeking temporary residence registration for the period from 18 to 36 months will be able to mail or e-mail their applications. The whole procedure will have the form of a notice.

The state duty on the registration of foreign migrants in Russia will be cancelled on January 1.

There will be a ban on the distribution of incandescent electric bulbs of more than 100 watt starting from January 1, as required by the Federal Law on Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency.

The entire amount of electric power sold in Russia but that supplied to residential areas will be sold at free market prices starting from 2011, as the Federal Law on Electric Power fully enters into force.

Alcohol excise rates will grow from 10% to 42.9% depending on the type of alcoholic beverages, while cigarette excise rates will increase by 36.6%.

Starting from January 1, the State Fire Safety Inspectorate will be able to suspend the operation of sites running a high fire risk for the period of up to 90 days without court authorization.

The Law on Volunteer Fire Brigades will enter into force in 2011.

Audio, visual and other technical gadgets, including electronic bracelets, will be used in 30 regions of Russia for monitoring convicts starting from 2011.

New rules of certification of pedagogical staff of state and municipal educational establishments will come into effect. There will be a new system of teachers' salaries based on their work quality and efficiency, and two types of pedagogical staff certification: compulsory held once in every five years and voluntary for pedagogies wishing to confirm their 1st class.

The Law on Veterinary will enter into force on January 1 to ensure quarantine in the case of a threat of the spread of contagious animal diseases and to spell out duties of federal and regional authorities in case of infection outbreaks.

The cost of electric power will grow by an average of 10.1-13.6%, while residents will pay about 15% more for natural gas.

Public utility charges in Moscow will grow by an average of 16-20%.

Telephone service charges will grow by an average of 9.2%, to 435 rubles, 327 rubles and 175 rubles depending on the tariff.

The minimal monthly salary in Moscow will amount to 10,400 rubles, while the minimal monthly pension for non-working pensioners will stand at 11,000 rubles.

Moscow public transport fees will grow, too. A bus, trolleybus or streetcar ride will cost 25 rubles instead of 24, but drivers will continue to sell tickets for 28 rubles each. The Moscow metro fee will grow by 2 rubles to 28 rubles.

New types of public transport tickets will be available. They will be valid for a particular period, one or five days, instead of a particular number of trips and will be used for any type of public transport but the metro.

It will be possible to pay for a Moscow metro ride with a mobile phone. Currently, this can be done with a bankcard.

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