The following instructions were issued after the September 5, 2012 meeting on the social development of the countryside:

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1. The Ministry of Agriculture (Nikolai Fyodorov), the Ministry of Economic Development (Andrei Belousov), the Ministry of Regional Development (Oleg Govorun) and the Ministry of Finance (Anton Siluanov), in cooperation with the concerned federal executive agencies and regional executive agencies, shall utilise a comprehensive approach for the well-balanced solution of economic, social, environmental and infrastructure problems of rural territories’ development, while drafting the federal targeted programme Sustainable Rural Development of Rural in 2014-2017 and up to 2020.

They shall report the results to the Government before October 30, 2012.

2. The Ministry of Transport (Maxim Sokolov), the Ministry of Agriculture (Nikolai Fyodorov), the Ministry of Economic Development (Andrei Belousov) and the Ministry of Finance (Anton Siluanov) shall draft proposals on changing specific criteria for the selection of motorway construction projects and access routes towards rural communities, as well as the organisation of regular bus services for these roads with low-level traffic.

They shall report the results to the Government before October 5, 2012.

3. The Ministry of Agriculture (Nikolai Fyodorov), the Ministry of Regional Development (Oleg Govorun), the Ministry of Finance (Anton Siluanov) and the Ministry of Economic Development (Andrei Belousov), in cooperation with regional executive agencies, shall draft proposals to improve specific mechanisms and methodology of state support for regions with an unfavourable agricultural environment, depopulated rural regions and under-developed regions with particular natural-climatic conditions. They shall submit the relevant proposals to the Government.

Deadline: Before December 12, 2012.

4. The Ministry of Agriculture (Nikolai Fyodorov), the Ministry of Finance (Anton Siluanov), the Ministry of Economic Development (Andrei Belousov) and the Ministry of Regional Development (Oleg Govorun), in cooperation with the concerned federal executive agencies and regional institutions of state authority, shall ensure the implementation of previously issued Government instructions to improve the legislation of the Russian Federation as regards farmland sales and purchases and monitoring their proper use, including higher land-tax rates and greater penal sanctions for failure to use farmland or for the misuse of farmland. They shall submit the relevant draft regulatory act to the Government in line with the established procedure before October 15, 2012.  

5. To advise regional executive agencies to focus on the following high-priority aspects, while drafting and implementing measures of regional programmes for the sustained development of rural territories:

• The existence of territorial planning and lay-out diagrammes of Russian regions, municipalities and general plans of communities and municipal districts;
• The order of priority for the development of the social, engineering, utility and transport infrastructures in regions where investment projects are being implemented;
• Fulfill requirements for the restructuring of the social infrastructure in the countryside;
• Consolidate financial resources for developing the rural infrastructure and expanding housing construction with the possible creation of a targeted municipal-development fund.