MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said his government will make one-off payments to pensioners and military personnel this year to help them cope with a sharper-than-expected rise in inflation, the RIA news agency reported on Sunday.

       Rising food prices are a sensitive matter for the Kremlin ahead of a parliamentary election in September.

       Putin told leaders of the ruling United Russia party that the planned rise in state payments would no longer be enough to cover current annual inflation of 6.5% year-on-year, which is exceeding expected levels of 4%, the RIA report said.

       "Of course, we need to boost the income of some groups of citizens," he said.

       Military personnel will receive payments of 15,000 roubles ($202) each, and pensioners of 10,000 roubles, Putin told the meeting.

       ($1 = 74.2650 roubles)

       (Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Jan Harvey)