Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:
Vladimir Putin: Mr Kuznetsov, I have a general understanding of the situation in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. How would you assess the performance results for the first six months of this year? What are the key issues? What has been accomplished? What kind of progress is there in the social sphere, in housing construction and commissioning? How much housing is planned for this year as compared with last year? How is the healthcare improvement programme being implemented and what do you plan to accomplish before September 1 under the school education improvement programme?
Lev Kuznetsov: Mr Putin, I'll start with your first question. Almost a year ago you held a meeting in Norilsk, where some truly unprecedented decisions were adopted under the programme of relocating Norilsk and Dudinka residents and improving the social and engineering housing infrastructure. Allow me to remind you that this programme covers over 11,000 households in Norilsk and provides for the construction of three preschool facilities, two football fields and the replacement of 61 km of infrastructural facilities. Today, all the participants, along with the federal and regional budgets and Norilsk Nickel, are implementing this programme accordingly.
Indeed, people living in the harsh conditions of the North have had the opportunity to appreciate the care that the state has provided. They therefore asked me to thank you on their behalf, and invite you to come play football on the new field that we are set to complete in August.
Vladimir Putin: When will it be ready?
Lev Kuznetsov: By the end of August, it will be ready by Miner’s Day.
Vladimir Putin: Now tell me in plain language what has specifically been done under our agreements?
Lev Kuznetsov: According to our agreements, 1,265 out of 11,265 families will be relocated this year. We have begun construction and will commission three kindergartens next year. This year, we renovated 160 flats out of the total 1,600.
Vladimir Putin: That’s one tenth.
Lev Kuznetsov: Yes, but this is scheduled to be a ten-year programme.
Out of 18 houses that are dilapidated and dangerous, we will tear down 6 of them, and will replace over 3 km of engineering lines. We will also develop design estimate documentation to repair four apartment buildings and fully restore them. We have additionally begun the construction of an indoor skating rink with a 250-person capacity in Dudinka, and will commission two football fields in August and September.
Vladimir Putin: Good.
Lev Kuznetsov: Now onto the second set of issues. As it is the end of summer and autumn is approaching, rural people also send their thanks. In general, the harvest was good this year. We hope to harvest over 2 million tonnes of grain.
Vladimir Putin: The harvesting campaign ends in September?
Lev Kuznetsov: It normally ends in October, but since the spring came early this year, we have already begun harvesting. In fact, the government programme for reduced fuel prices was very important for us, and came at a critical time. This programme had been in place in previous years as well, but it always came a bit late.
As for the modernisation of equipment, we will exceed the pace set in 2008, despite the fact that the economy was much stronger than it is now, with enterprises still reeling from the crisis. I hope to be able to harvest 2-2.2 tonnes per hectare, which would be the highest yield across the entire Siberian Federal District.
There is one request that some farmers have asked me to convey to you, Mr Putin. Since preliminary estimates for grain harvest are good overall, it's clear that there will be fierce competition. Since in general Siberian grain is slightly inferior to grain grown in European Russia in terms of delivery distance, markets and quality, there is a tariff programme that supports grain producers beginning at the 1,000 kilometre mark. You understand distances in Russia: there may be 1,000 km separating two towns or villages. We would therefore like to ask you to help us receive these tariff benefits beginning at zero kilometres, provided the grain will be sold beyond the 1,000 km mark. Then, our grain will genuinely be competitive, and will help farmers continue doing their work effectively.
Vladimir Putin: Let’s look into that.
Lev Kuznetsov: Overall, the idea was received well. Mr Zubkov supports it. I will write to your…
Vladimir Putin: I understand. We need the Transport Ministry and Russian Railways to… We will certainly discuss this with you later.
Lev Kuznetsov: The next item concerns preparations for the new school year. We already have 2 billion roubles allocated for major repairs and acquisition of equipment.
Vladimir Putin: From the federal budget?
Lev Kuznetsov: That’s the total amount.
Vladimir Putin: In all, correct?
Lev Kuznetsov: Yes, including funds from the federal budget. As of today, we have 1,175 schools that will open on September 1, of which 1,036 were ready on August 18. I am confident that all schools will be ready for students on September 1.
Vladimir Putin: What about teachers’ salaries?
Lev Kuznetsov: We will comply with the instructions regarding teachers’ salaries. We have increased salaries by 30% using the general fund. From there it’s up to the teachers, because we allocate 30% to schools, and teachers who do their job well and show good results will receive extra payment from the bonus fund. Other teachers will receive their regular salaries and perhaps smaller bonuses. It all depends on the school authorities, because we provide schools with a salary fund, increased by 30%, to be used at their discretion.
Vladimir Putin: Good. But still, what is the average salary and how does it compare with the average salary across all industries?
Lev Kuznetsov: We haven’t finished our calculations yet. The average salary is 24,200 roubles. I think that teachers will receive about 21,500 roubles.
Vladimir Putin: After the 30% increase?
Lev Kuznetsov: Yes, but take into account the fact that we live in huge northern areas where there are high salaries.
Vladimir Putin: Even still, when do you plan to reach the average salary level across all industries?
Lev Kuznetsov: We've set ourselves a goal for the end of next year.
Vladimir Putin: That is, late 2012?
Lev Kuznetsov: Yes.
Vladimir Putin: This should be entered into the federal budget.
Lev Kuznetsov: Yes, we are making the appropriate provisions, and it is accounted for in our current plans. We will certainly make note of it during the budgeting process.
Vladimir Putin: What about housing commissioning?
Lev Kuznetsov: To be honest, there have been no major breakthroughs here. We have commissioned about 1 million square metres, which is about 5% more than last year’s numbers. We believe that market dynamics are determined by supply and demand. Next, we have a programme to increase the amount of housing to 1.5 million square metres, but we will do so gradually while building infrastructure and ensuring the affordability of housing.
Vladimir Putin: How is the educational institute that we visited doing?
Lev Kuznetsov: The institute is doing very well, Mr Putin. They are grateful for the new building – the Institute of Oil and Gas – that is in high demand today. We have signed agreements with the Siberian Federal University, Norilsk Nickel, Rosneft, and the Siberian Coal Energy Company. The institute will train specialists who will be employed at enterprises in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and elsewhere.
Vladimir Putin: There are good educational facilities in your area.
Lev Kuznetsov: Yes, certainly, the ratings are different, but in terms of innovative activity they are ranked first, which came as a surprise to us. It's clear that this may have been awarded in advance, but the university understands its place as a leading educational institution, and not only in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. We have set even more ambitious goals for ourselves. Most importantly, the university does not isolate itself: it is developing relations with the Novosibirsk and Tomsk higher educational institutions in order to develop a good standardised programme for training professionals in Siberia.
Vladimir Putin: Don’t forget about dormitories.
Lev Kuznetsov: We have received the funding for this. The construction of the first three dormitories is in full swing. We will honour all the commitments that we made, that you used as a basis for making this decision. We will bring the level of dormitory provision up to 70%-80% after the completion of this programme, which is in line with the generally accepted standards.
Vladimir Putin: Good.