Agenda: comprehensive development of the Novorossiysk transport hub, progress in implementing the Infrastructure for Life national project, establishment of the Arctic Star student cluster in the Arkhangelsk Region, progress in carrying out the programme of creating a network of world-level campuses in Russia.
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks
Marat Khusnullin’s report on the mechanism of territories’ comprehensive development
Dmitry Chernyshenko’s report on establishing a network of modern campuses in Russia
Excerpts from the transcript:
Mikhail Mishustin at the meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Marat Khusnullin at the meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Dmitry Chernyshenko at the meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Mikhail Mishustin at the meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Mikhail Mishustin: Good morning, colleagues.
First of all, I will speak about modernising our transport system. We have taken an important decision.
The President made it a point that the quality of people’s life, the growth of industry, tourism, trade and strengthening of the country’s economy in general largely depend on the efficient and reliable operation of this system. Therefore, it is important to build up its capacity, making it more effective and up-to-date.
This objective is permanently in the focus of the Government’s attention. It involves not only an upgrade of the main infrastructure, building of bridges, highway junctions and overpasses, but also, which is very important, the establishment of a single network for the transportation of passengers and cargoes, development of transport hubs, including one of the largest in Novorossiysk.
The plans include building about 50 km of railways to expand approaches to that seaport within the next five years. Almost 70 billion roubles have been earmarked for these purposes until 2030.
We will allot additionally about 400 million roubles in order to provide for an advance building of a railway fleet, complete renovation of a traction substation and the main way this year. The funds will be provided under the Effective Transport System specialised national project.
We will go on mapping out new logistics routes and increasing the throughput capacity of roads to make supply reliable and let people travel all over the country quickly and comfortably.
And some more about the infrastructure building in the regions and development of our entire vast territory; about creating an environment safe for the people and comfortable for their life; about providing them with modern housing, making social services more accessible and populated areas better connected.
We pay serious attention to each of these areas. Russian regions may use the relevant financial instruments on preferential terms for implementing such measures, as well as the mechanism of a comprehensive territory development, which primarily implies an upgrade of the urban built-up areas, modernisation of utility facilities and residents’ relocation from dilapidated and condemned housing. Now most of the regions are using it already.
As per the President’s instructions, the Government supports them providing the necessary funding in the specialised national project.
Thanks to such funding the first of such projects has been recently commissioned in the Kirov Region ahead of schedule.
Mr Khusnullin, please tell us about applying the mechanism of the territories’ comprehensive development. And, of course, about the results that our people should see. Please.
Marat Khusnullin at the meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Marat Khusnullin: Mr Mishustin, colleagues,
The large-scale comprehensive national project, Infrastructure for Life, is nearing the end of its first year. It has taken over from the Housing and Urban Environment and Safe Quality Roads national projects, inheriting their systemic and comprehensive approach as its key feature.
The national project is pooling efforts and resources to develop the entire infrastructure – from housing and roads to public utilities and social facilities – across the country. Housing is still the focus for all work. Today, housing construction cannot be regarded in isolation from quality infrastructure.
Given the recent-year boost in housing construction, there is an increased demand for infrastructure. It is for this reason that the new national project gives priority to a comprehensive development of territories (CDT), something that implies the creation of modern and well-organised blocks.
The necessary social, engineering, road and transport infrastructure is created in parallel with housing construction. The CDT system provides a framework for resettling people from dilapidated houses and hazardous dwellings. Neglected plots of land are being involved into turnover. We are reviewing about 1,800 territories measuring almost 41,000 hectares with a potential for 300 million square metres of new real estate that can be used for resettling people from dilapidated or hazardous dwellings.
Within the last couple of years, 3 million square metres of residential and non-residential properties has been commissioned under the CDT system. Among other things, the CDT involves federal support in 37 regions with low socioeconomic development levels. The Infrastructure for Life national project will allocate 120 billion roubles for these purposes until 2030.
We also use the tested and effective federal support mechanisms that have acquitted themselves well in the regions to address the large-scale tasks assigned to the construction industry. Infrastructure loans are among the most relevant propositions. They are issued to constituent entities of the Russian Federation at 3 percent annual interest for a term of up to 15 years, which is a very comfortable arrangement, particularly in the present-day environment. We continue to issue these loans despite the current situation.
The infrastructure-related budgetary (IBL) and special Treasury loans (STL) have yielded tangible results, helping to complete over 780 facilities and events, including the commissioning of 500 kilometres or roads, 430 housing and public utilities facilities, and 1,500 kilometres of new engineering networks.
We put a special focus on upgrading public transportation services. This mechanism has helped to provide regions with 8,300 new transport vehicles.
The economic payoff is also considerable. The IBL and STL projects have channeled over 4 trillion roubles in extra-budgetary investment to the regions and helped to commission almost 35 million square metres of housing and create nearly 170,000 new jobs.
This year, we have launched infrastructure treasury loans in the follow-up to the successful use of these mechanisms and at our President’s instruction. The Presidium of the Government Commission for Regional Development continues to consider regions’ applications for project financing. The latest application was approved virtually the other day during the last meeting. Thus, the allocation of about 360 billion roubles has been approved for 84 regions since the start of this year. This takes care of 742 facilities, with more than a half of this sum to be used for upgrading housing and public utilities.
Thus, we have created a system of working tools that makes it possible for the regions to address their infrastructure issues and create comfortable conditions for human living.
I want to note in particular that this is promoted by our President’s constant focus on the construction industry. Creating this system would have been impossible without the Government’s systemic work and your, Mr Mishustin, constant support. We will continue this work.
Mikhail Mishustin: Thank you, Mr Khusnullin.
A very extensive toolkit for implementing the necessary integrated infrastructure development measures has been created. It is important that the regions make full use of it. Meanwhile, this work must be coordinated and monitored, and that is precisely what you are doing.
I would also like to address another important topic: the programme to establish a network of world-class campuses in Russia. Its implementation began four years ago at the President’s initiative.
Today, this work is well underway. The competitive selection process for the first 25 campuses, planned for completion by 2030, has been finalised. Twenty-nine facilities have already been commissioned, with four more scheduled to open by the end of this year. The campus of Bauman Moscow State Technical University is already in operation.
It is important to emphasise that the activities of such campuses are closely tied to the industrial capabilities of the sectors they serve. This means that a region can contribute to the construction of specialised campuses aligned with the needs of its enterprises, depending on its competencies and areas of expertise. We discussed this in detail during the presentation of the interuniversity campus in the Omsk Region, which we visited this summer.
This year, we also began developing a similar facility in the Arkhangelsk Region. The project, called the Arctic Star, will focus on five key areas related to life and activity in Russia’s Arctic zone. These include shipbuilding, the Northern Sea Route, and the development of the macroregion’s natural resources. A technology park, as well as sports and creative spaces, are also planned.
The Government will allocate two billion roubles to the region for these purposes today.
Mr Chernyshenko, you are actively working on a broad range of issues related to building a network of world-class campuses. Please, update us on the programme’s progress in the Russian regions. And one more specific question: which facilities will be commissioned in the near future?
More to be posted soon.
