Prime Minister Vladimir Putin meets with Governor of the Tver Region Andrei Shevelyov
The Governor reported on his first actions after taking office, on the current social and economic situation in the region and future plans. A special emphasis during the meeting was laid on raising teachers’ salaries.
Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:
Vladimir Putin: It has been almost two months since you took office. What has been done and what do you think are the key challenges for the region?
Andrei Shevelyov: Mr Putin, I would like to brief you on the overall social and economic situation in the region. In general I would assess it as follows: we are coping well with the aftermath of the financial crisis. This assessment is based on the statistics for the first six months of the year.
Speaking about the key indicator – the industrial output index – we are in the second place in the Central Federal District with 116.7%. The average figure for Russia is 105%. We share the 13th and 14th place with the Kostroma Region in terms of unemployment at 1.3%, which we have brought down from 1.4% at the beginning of the year.
I would like to stress that we rank first in the Central Federal District in terms of agricultural production. As to the basic indicator of investments in the region, we are sixth in the federal district. But I would like to note that while it fell by 22% in the Central Federal District, we have kept up the pace. I view it as my major task.
The second task is the healthcare modernisation programme that you have announced. We are very scrupulous about implementing it since throughout the three years that the funds will be coming to us (this year alone we have been allocated 1.18 billion roubles) our key challenge is to distribute the funds properly. So far we have already received 753 million, and the funding is eagerly anticipated and accepted.
These are the two priorities.
As to teachers, we have already fulfilled the directive with a 30% hike in teachers’ salaries by September 1st. Yet I hope we will bring them up to the average wage level within three years.
Vladimir Putin: Three years sounds like a little too long.
Andrei Shevelyov: The 30% hike being introduced is an expected and considerable increase. The regional budget earmarked 183 million roubles for this as of September 1.
Vladimir Putin: September 1 of this year?
Andrei Shevelyov: Next year that will amount to 21%. We have plans to make further raises taking into account the regional budget.
Vladimir Putin: I still believe three years is a little too long. Please look into it and consult with your colleagues.
Andrei Shevelyov: I will. We hold middle positions in the Central Federal District in terms of other indicators. My priority here is to preserve the growth that has emerged and to balance the budget. I have talked to Mr Kudrin and reported what I had managed to do about the budget in the past month and a half. We are aware we have to cut expenses. I reported that I had already submitted budget amendments to the Tver legislature to reduce the expenditure by 1.4 – that is both state officials and the expenses that are considered to be inefficient. The minister had a very positive view of our steps. We discussed the problems. That is, our task is to balance the three-year budget that was passed.
The overall social and economic situation, to my mind, is stable. We will tackle the challenges facing us.
Vladimir Putin: Good.
