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Primorye Duma deputies on Tuesday passed in the third and final reading the projected 2008 regional budget, which shows an expected deficit of $82 million, a statement from the legislative reported.

The budget project, which was voted for by 25 out of 29 present deputies at the Duma’s extraordinary meeting, lists revenues of 39 billion rubles ($1.2 billion) and expenditures at 41 billion rubles ($1.7 billion).

According to Primorye Vice-Governor Alexander Kostenko, the budget deficit is to be covered with borrowing, crediting and investment contracts.

Over eight billion rubles ($328 million) of the budget expenditures is intended for implementing social policies, primarily for supporting labor veterans with 1.5 billion rubles and granting housing and communal services subsidies of 1.7 billion rubles.

The budget plan also involves supporting Primorye’s large families and those with adopted children, with 50 million rubles ($2 million) intended for the purpose.

A total of 1.4 billion rubles ($57.4 million) has been earmarked for constructing objects planned for the 2012 APEC summit, the statement said. The expenditures include survey work on the objects, which account for 384 million rubles ($15.7 million), while over one billion rubles will go to building roads and developing municipal facilities.

Next year’s budget expenses also include covering over twenty regional target programs, with the biggest sums going to road construction, which is to receive 2.4 billion rubles ($98.4 million), and developing physical education and sports in Primorye, with the financing listed at 613 million rubles.

Among the other spheres to receive money from the budget are housing and communal services (one billion rubles, or $41 million), national security and law enforcement bodies (four billion rubles), education (two billion rubles). The economic sector as well as the health and physical training sector will receive 5.5 billion and six billion rubles from the budget respectively, the statement said.

The 2008 regional budget indicates growth as compared to the budget for this year, which lists its revenues and expenditures at 36.6 billion rubles ($1.5 billion) and 38.8 billion rubles correspondingly.