Chuichenko said that there has been some progress on the matter and the number of orders fulfilled on time has increased this year by 68 per cent. “It used to be every sixth order, now it is every fifth,” he said.

Medvedev has been actively pushing for measures to make the work of the state machinery more efficient, and has criticized officials hindering the efforts.

“In order to meet the deadlines, our dear colleagues report that such and such has been done. However, in reality – when a case is examined – it reveals that nothing was done,” he said back in March during a video conference on the implementation of his instructions. According to Medvedev, it is understandable that some projects, like the 2014 Sochi Olympics, are quite time-consuming. In other cases, when an official asks to postpone a deadline for half a year, there is no doubt it means “a failure to implement presidential orders.”

Earlier in June, the government came under fire for slow progress on the preparation of the so-called federal targeted programs.

Another issue of concern has been poor attendance at the lower house, State Duma, sessions by lawmakers. Medvedev warned that if this continues, some deputies might lose their positions.