How life is changing in the Orsha district - a report by ONT TV channel
Five days a week, even the most remote villages of the Orsha district receive letters and fresh newspapers. The "mobile postman" is always on the move. In a day, he visits up to twenty settlements. Just like a mobile shop on wheels, but it stops right at your doorstep, and you can pay for various services on the spot.
There are only two such postmen for the entire Orsha district. They serve as many as 35 remote villages where stationary post offices had to be closed. The new project by "Belpochta" is still an experiment. And quite a successful one. It can be extended to the entire country. The changes happening in Orsha and its surroundings are now being closely watched in different parts of the country. After all, major transformations are currently taking place in the district, located at the junction of major transport routes.
Since January of last year, this territory has been a special economic zone with preferential taxation. A 4% reduction in pension insurance contributions, a simplified tax rate of only 1%, and no VAT on imported equipment. Businesses were the first to respond to these favorable conditions, with 60 new enterprises added in a year. Private capital is developing the territory of this old PMK. A small business, which had only two vehicles, has now moved into the medium-sized segment. The fleet has tripled, and a new line has been installed. In the first three months, the benefits saved the company almost 10,000 rubles.
Some are expanding, others are starting their own businesses from scratch. Electric vehicles drive around the territory of this enterprise – these are the requirements of safety regulations, a unique production facility has been launched on the grounds of a former military unit. It was here that the first domestic cartridges were produced. 150 people immediately found jobs, and the staff will soon be doubled. After the army, Sergey Izmestiev managed to work in many places. He mixed concrete at construction sites, worked in non-departmental security, and even in a funeral home. And now, at 50, a new challenge.
Special attention is paid to former industrial giants. Once the city was famous for its production facilities. But now, new generation managers are setting tasks for the personnel. The instrument plant is under the wing of MTZ, and the enterprise for automatic control devices represents the interests of BelAZ. They started with putting things in order. In a few minutes, the sites were cleared for new projects. Construction will soon begin, and for now, work continues in the old workshops. They produce spare parts for BelAZ, have mastered the production of iron removal stations, but they do not forget about the main thing – the attitude towards labor.
The district is focusing on small and medium-sized businesses. Large investment projects in industry and agriculture are just beginning to be implemented. However, private capital is not always synonymous with guaranteed success. An example of this is the aircraft repair plant. Now it is back in the status of a state-owned company. While the former owners were arguing, the plant was losing contracts and people. Now the production line is provided with orders for the whole year and is starting to build a new workshop. "Bremeno-Orsha" is implementing the second phase of an ambitious multimodal complex. The first warehouse is ready, the second is under construction. There is now a short road from the major M-1 highway directly to the site. Farmers are also on the path of intensive development. Three large dairy farms are at the finish line. A new enterprise will also start operating this year. Its workshops have everything necessary for processing and further storage of elite seeds.
The stimulus for economic and social transformations was Presidential Decree No. 506. The Orsha district was not chosen as the site for the experiment by chance. The problems of this region's development were discussed during the Big Conversation. And now, a year later, there are already the first results. Local budget revenues have increased. And all this is thanks to increased productivity and the opening of new enterprises. The best practices will then be applied in other cities with a population of 100,000.
Another direction may also become promising. In the Orsha district, after a large-scale inventory, 643 unused facilities were counted. In just one year, 389 buildings and structures have already found new owners. Almost every second one has found an owner. These include old garages and recreation centers. There is still time to implement your business idea. Additional preferences in the region will be valid until 2023.