Main issue: The Strategy for Developing the Construction Sector and the Housing and Utilities Infrastructure until 2030.

Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks: 

Good afternoon, colleagues. Today, we will review the Strategy for Developing the Construction Sector and the Housing and Utilities Infrastructure until 2030. We discussed this issue in great detail at a meeting of the State Council when the President instructed the concerned officials to approve it. The document describes in detail various stages for achieving national goals, set forth by the President. First of all, this includes efforts to ensure comfortable and safe living conditions and to accomplish tasks for providing more affordable housing, improving the quality of the urban environment, modernising the housing and utilities infrastructure, and other aspects. Under the strategy’s provisions, there are plans to conduct a systemic transformation of the construction sector and the housing and utilities infrastructure, to introduce digital tools using Russian technologies, to conduct all the main procedures online for greater transparency, to shorten the investment and construction cycle, and to cut the number of excessive requirements. All this will allow reducing the load on businesses, simplify interaction between companies and state agencies, and facilitate more cost-effective construction of residential buildings as well as transport and social infrastructure. This will also help to involve subcontractors’ capabilities, attract investment and create high-tech and competitive production facilities and, most importantly, new jobs in Russian regions. Later, Marat Khusnullin will speak on the Strategy for Developing the Construction Sector and the Housing and Utilities Infrastructure in greater detail. City and community improvements is another issue on our agenda. The President devotes great attention to this issue and emphasises the fact that all work should be conducted with due account for the opinion of local residents, and that it should completely meet their real needs.

Today, we will discuss the provision of 500 million rubles to the Tambov Region. The funds will be used to improve 26 public spaces in urban districts in this Russian region, including the construction of new children’s and sports grounds, car parking lots and greenery planting in courtyards. We discussed it at length with the region’s leadership during the working visit. All of the sites were chosen with the active participation of the residents, and I was personally convinced of that. It was their wishes that were taken into account, where it was better to arrange a place for walks with children and for physical exercise, and to put in a public garden or a park.

A clean and comfortable courtyard and well-equipped streets are no less important for comfortable living. That is why we bring hundreds of public spaces to order in all regions of the country every year. And this will continue.

Now, regarding measures to support healthcare workers. One of the Government’s priorities is to ensure decent wages for people who save lives and promote health.

In accordance with the President’s executive order in May, the wages of paramedics and nurses shall not be lower than the regional average. Doctors must be paid at least twice that figure.

According to the forecast of the Ministry of Economic Development, the average monthly salary in Russia will increase by more than 11.5 percent during the year. The Government will additionally allocate nearly 59 billion rubles to the regions so that medical workers’ salaries can keep pace and match the level set by the President.

It is important that our doctors and other staff at hospitals and clinics receive the money they are entitled to on time and in full. I ask every Russian region to keep a close eye on this.

Let’s move on to the discussion now. I give the floor to Marat Khusnullin for his report on the Strategy for Development of the Construction Sector and the Housing and Utilities Infrastructure. Go ahead, please.