Russian President Vladimir Putin has made wide-ranging social promises two weeks before the presidential election. The 71-year-old – in power for more than 24 years – has no serious rivals in the March 15-17 poll after international observers said he had again surpressed opposition. However, Putin still felt compelled to announce future social reforms in his annual State of the Nation address. He said around 1 trillion roubles ($10.8 billion) would be spent on modernizing the healthcare system and acknowledged that 13.5 million people lived under the poverty line in Russia – especially in big …