Government meeting

Agenda: writing off regional debt on state budget loans, budgetary allocations for developing healthcare in the regions, supporting agricultural producers in border regions.

Mikhail Mishustin's opening remarks:

Good afternoon, colleagues.

The President keeps a very close eye on creating the necessary conditions for facilitating regional development.

To this end, the Government has undertaken several measures, including infrastructure budget loans. Granted on preferential terms, they are designed to fund efforts to build schools, kindergartens, outpatient clinics, roads, housing and utilities infrastructure.

Another instrumental and effective support mechanism builds on the President's proposal to write off two thirds of the debt owed by the Russian regions to the federal budget subject to investing the freed-up funds in programmes which the regions need the most now.

Over 80 percent of the regions have already benefited from this opportunity. They were able to upgrade their utilities networks, and acquire up-to-date, passenger-friendly and efficient public transit. The number of initiatives which were carried out this way is growing all the time.

We will now move to reduce the debt burden of the Kurgan and the Jewish Autonomous regions for a total of one billion roubles.

These funds are earmarked for carrying out major social projects, including helping special military operation participants and their families.

Let us now turn to the agenda for this Government meeting.

The President keeps highlighting the important goal of ensuring the effective operation and accessibility of healthcare services in every region of Russia.

The Government has been providing the regions with the necessary support on a system-wide basis.

Today, we will discuss allocating over 2.1 billion roubles to the Republic of Altai and the Chechen Republic, as well as the Ryazan Region. The Tver Region will also receive funding for its central district hospital. It will receive newly built additional space, better facilities and equipment, including more than 50 medical devices, all funded from the federal budget.

Overall, this decision will provide for balancing the budgets of these regions in the key social services sectors, which means that it will improve the quality of life of their people.

The next item deals with supporting agricultural producers.

The President has stressed that the national goals included promoting steady and quality economic development in Russia and generating higher growth rates across a wide range of sectors.

It is important that we recognise our agricultural producers for their contribution to fulfilling these objectives, especially in the border regions where producing and processing agricultural products poses immense challenges. I am referring to the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions, of course.

In line with the President's instructions, the Government will allocate additional funding to help businesses in these regions offset the damage they had suffered and be able to complete their harvest season and plant winter crops.

We do hope that these measures will help make these businesses on the ground more resilient. After all, despite all the current challenges, the agro-industrial complex in the border regions has been proactively contributing to ensuring food security by supplying people in these regions and other consumers with quality products. The Government will keep assisting agricultural producers who have been doing a great deal for fulfilling the objectives as set out by the President.