Moscow, 10 June: In the coming three to four years Russia's economic growth should continue and annual growth of GDP should amount to 7-7.5 per cent, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Zhukov said today at the opening of the International Women's Forum. He stressed that the main task of the Russian government was the well-being of citizens. In the past four years the real incomes of the population grew 10-15 per cent annually. According to Zhukov, the government expects that in the coming years these indicators will be maintained. A great deal is expected to be done to reform the economy, health care, education and the social sphere, the deputy prime minister noted. He stressed that one of the priority tasks of the executive branch of power was to fight poverty. According to him, the number of residents of Russia living below the poverty line has been reduced by one-third in the last few years. Nevertheless, at present about 30 million citizens receive income below the subsistence level. In the coming three years its is planned to reduce this figure by half, Zhukov promised. The deputy prime minister noted that the birth rate in Russia increased by 18 per cent in the last three years while infant mortality fell by 25 per cent. But as a whole, he thought, "the demographic situation in Russia will remain complicated". In order to radically change the situation, it is necessary to create conditions where the birth of a child "does not cause economic and career problems for the parents", Aleksandr Zhukov noted. He wished success to the participants of the forum, which for the first time brought together in Moscow over 250 female leaders from nearly 20 countries of the world and noted that the Russian executive branch of power is prepared listen to its recommendations.