The agenda: the results of the working trip to the Chechen Republic, expanding support for medical workers in rural areas, support for entrepreneurs in the Belgorod Region, extending the zero rate on insurance premiums for crews of ships in the Russian International Register.
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:
Good afternoon, colleagues.
Government meeting
Government meeting
Government meeting
This week we had a working trip to the Chechen Republic, where the Caucasian Investment Forum was held on the president’s instruction. At the exhibition, the heads of the district’s constituent entities presented breakthrough projects that are being implemented there. As you remember, we launched them three years ago in priority sectors: industry, the agricultural sector, housing and communal services, transport, and tourism. This work has already had a positive effect. The volume of investments attracted is growing, production is developing, up-to-date and in-demand infrastructure is appearing, and new jobs are being created.
We also had a meeting with the members of the relevant governmental commission in Grozny in order to have an in-depth consideration of the overall situation in the North Caucasus Federal District. Together with the heads of Russian regions and federal ministries, we developed solutions to improve the quality of life in the macro-region and develop its economic, social, and industrial spheres. In particular, this concerns improving transport connectivity of its territories, which is very important for residents and travellers, which was discussed by all the heads of the North Caucasian regions. We discussed ways to improve the financial sector, the payment system, and upgrade the personnel training system, including those with secondary vocational education. We discussed professionalism, clustering, and the need for those specialists who are trained by the professional system to stay where they are, in the macro-region, instead of leaving. This is essential for supporting the labour market, especially in the North Caucasus.
Mr Novak, thank you for organising it. I would also like to thank Mr Kadyrov and everyone who held this event at such a high level.
It is necessary to prepare promptly, as a follow-up to the trip, a list of instructions taking into account all the issues that were discussed at the meeting.
I ask heads of the ministries and departments to keep under personal control the progress of works in all the areas under your supervision in the North Caucasus District.
Before we pass over to today’s agenda of the Government meeting, I want to speak about several decisions that we adopted.
First of all, in the healthcare system.
One of the Government’s priority tasks in this sphere is to raise the availability of quality medical aid for the residents in every corner of our large country.
To this end, we go on upgrading medical facilities and build new ones not only in the cities, but also in rural areas and remote, hard-to-access territories. We are creating conditions for more competent specialists to come to work there. We are also implementing such programmes as the Rural Doctor and Rural Paramedic; whereby medical workers receive lump-sum payments.
On the President’s instruction, we will increase their amount for those, who will relocate to work in the new Russian regions. Up to two million roubles for doctors and up to one million roubles for paramedics, nurses and other mid-level medical professionals.
The federal budget provides over one billion roubles for these purposes, of which over 350 million is earmarked for this year.
We will also add another mechanism to both programmes, so that an employee will be able to change his or her place of work once during the contract term and move to another healthcare institution in the same region.
We expect these decisions to be a good incentive for our doctors to stay in small towns and villages, and also for graduates of medical colleges and universities to return home and work there, to provide qualified assistance and counselling to local residents. This is extremely important. Not all of them, for a variety of reasons, have the opportunity to travel even to a regional medical centre for treatment. Regional leaders constantly talk about that when we meet with them.
The Government continues its support for enterprises in the Belgorod and other regions bordering on the new constituent entities. The President paid special attention to that.
An entire set of measures is carried out in this respect. Among them is the law on the free economic area operational in the region, developed on the President’s instruction, preferential programmes for leasing equipment, grants for restoration or relocation of production facilities, purchase of vehicles for mobile trade, investment loans for small and medium-sized businesses. Appropriate resources are also allocated for the re-equipment of medical centres.
Last year, we established a deferral of payment of a number of taxes and insurance premiums for enterprises and citizens, so that the due payments to the budget could be made in instalments over the next 12 months. We will also preserve this opportunity for the tax liabilities that become due before December 31, 2024.
The adopted decision will help local businesses. They will have more operating assets, which may be used, among other things, to pay salaries and purchase raw materials and equipment.
Now let’s turn to the agenda.
The Government keeps on supporting domestic ship-building and shipping. The importance of this was underscored by the President on many occasions.
For over 10 years, there has been a zero rate on the insurance premiums for crews of ships from the Russian International Register of Vessels. As a result, the number of vessels entered in the register has grown by almost 150 percent and the number of the shipboard personnel exceeded 16,000 people.
On the President’s instruction, we have drafted a law on extending this benefit. This initiative will help increase the share of vessels flying the flag of our country in the world merchant fleet. This objective has been set in the Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation.
This measure is expected to bring about 14 billion roubles in additional revenue to maritime transport companies, which will enhance their economic opportunities, including when it comes to wage payment.
