The Russian government has approved a list of 11 state-controlled companies whose stakes are to be privatized in 2011-2013, an Economic Development Ministry official said on Wednesday. "The list includes Transneft, Sovcomflot, Rosneft, Sberbank, VTB, Rosagroleasing, the Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy System, the Russian Agricultural Bank, RusHydro and Rosspirtprom with the United Grain Company," said the director of the Economic Development Ministry's property relations department, Alexei Uvarov.
Russian Railways was taken off the list because it was necessary to discuss the final part of railways reform, he said. The ministry was also against the privatization of Agency for Housing Mortgage Lending because it considered the agency a development institution and its privatization made no commercial sense.
