On the main results of the outgoing year in an interview with the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Nikolai Sherstnev
In the Vitebsk region, they don't like verbosity. Neither the character of the inhabitants of the northern region nor the position of the regional leadership contributes to this. New facilities are opened on schedule, villages are gradually being put in order, and the production sphere and medicine are under special control. About the main results of the outgoing year in an interview with the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Nikolai Sherstnev.
— Nikolai Nikolaevich, 2020 marks the end of the trilogy of the Year of Small Motherland. How has the region changed during this time?
— The declaration of the Year of Small Motherland, first and foremost, prompted us to take a closer look at the problems of small villages and small settlements and to focus on their improvement. Order must be maintained in everything: from household plots and central streets to organizations.
All the events of the Year of Small Motherland trilogy are united by an unconditional goal – to improve the quality of life so that every person, regardless of age and profession, wants to live and work in their native land.
Therefore, no sphere was left unattended: educational institutions were renovated, housing was built, sports facilities were constructed (for example, the Trampoline Jumping Center in Vitebsk), and long-delayed construction projects were commissioned. For instance, the construction of the district hospital in Miory, which began in 1992 and was subsequently frozen, was completed 26 years later – in 2018. The polyclinic in the Yug-7 microdistrict of Vitebsk was commissioned after 9 years, and the therapeutic building of the Orsha City Hospital No. 1 was under construction for almost 7 years.
I want to note separately that much has been achieved in the healthcare system. A quarter of the region's budget is spent on its development. In total, over 100 facilities have been commissioned over the five-year period. These include polyclinics in Verkhnedvinsk, Novolukoml, Chashniki, Rossony, Ushachi, Senno, as well as the Begoml and Bolbasovo district hospitals, the infectious disease ward in Glubokoye, and dental departments in Braslav and Dokshitsy.
This year, the modernization of the treatment building of the Yurtsevo Regional Hospital for Disabled Veterans of the Great Patriotic War and the major overhaul of the rehabilitation department in Barani, Orsha District, have been completed.
— Vitebsk hosted the regional festival of agricultural workers "Dazhynki" for the first time this year, and significant changes have taken place in the city on the eve of it…
— Every year, following the tradition established by the President, we extensively improve district centers that host the "Dazhynki" festival of agricultural workers. We are improving their infrastructure. In 2018, we renovated about 200 facilities in Verkhnedvinsk, and in 2019, more than a hundred in Braslav.
Vitebsk was no exception. Over a hundred facilities in the city were given a new lease on life, and new ones were also built. This list includes the reconstructed second building of the Regional Palace of Children and Youth, a new children's outpatient clinic in the Bilevo microdistrict, and a modern sports complex of Vitebsk State University named after Masherov. An air-supported football arena has appeared on the map of Vitebsk. Secondary school No. 47 named after General Ivanovsky, which opened before the new academic year, has no analogues in the region in terms of its technical equipment and design. Freedom Square, the park on Kirova Street, and the Millennium Park have radically changed their appearance. A waste sorting plant has been built.
This is a real gift for the residents of the 40,000-strong Bilevo microdistrict and the entire regional center – a new highway, which has become a continuation of Stroiteley Avenue from Brovka Street to Korotkevich Street. Along with the highway, an underground pedestrian crossing has been put into operation. After a global reconstruction with the support of the Head of State, one of the most important transport arteries of Vitebsk has been opened – the Polotsk overpass. The Vitebsk region has become a worthy adornment of the regional center, and a large complex of works has also been carried out in it.
— The achievements of the villagers deserve special attention. This year, for the first time in the last five years, the Vitebsk region has threshed over a million tons of grain.
— The agricultural workers of the Vitebsk region truly have something to be proud of. We managed to grow a good harvest. However, due to the late ripening of grain and the rainy August, the main month of harvesting in our region, farmers had to make considerable efforts to bring it in from the fields. The focus on adhering to the technological regulations for crop cultivation and the use of energy-intensive agricultural machinery has paid off. We are moving forward in this direction. Just the other day, a large batch of tractors from the Minsk Tractor Works arrived in the region, more than 350 units of equipment have been distributed to the organizations of the region's agro-holdings and will show their worth in the spring.
— The work of agro-holdings is under close scrutiny by the country's leadership. To what extent has the creation of these structures justified itself?
— The need to reform the agricultural sector has long been overdue in the region. We needed a fundamentally new, comprehensive approach to its operation, providing opportunities for wage growth, improving the professional level of workers in the agro-industrial complex, and retaining staff in rural areas.
Each of the seven agro-holdings is headed by combines and plants with the highest revenue concentration and a complete production cycle. The results of these associations are best reflected in the figures: for January-November, including tolling raw materials, the volume of industrial production amounted to 1 billion 153 million rubles (108.4 percent compared to the corresponding period last year), and gross agricultural output was 878.9 million rubles (103.6 percent).
— A third of the products manufactured by the region's industrial enterprises are innovative. This has largely helped to keep the region's economy at a decent level. What projects in this area this year do you consider most important, and were all of them successfully implemented?
— I will start by saying that the development of the social sphere is directly dependent on the performance of the real sector of the economy. The VVitebsk region consistently provides 15 percent of the republic's industrial output. If we look not only at what was done in 2020, but also at the outgoing five-year period as a whole, then much has been achieved. Technical re-equipment and modernization of a number of enterprises have been carried out. Vitebsk and Polotsk HPPs have been built. Reconstruction of hydrocleaning units and hydrogen production at Naftan has been completed. Modernization of two factories has been completed: Orsha Flax Mill and Vitebsk Fur Factory. The first stage of the multimodal industrial and logistics center "Bremeno-Orsha" has been commissioned in Orsha district. Great prospects for the future are opening up with the launch of production at the metal rolling plant in Miory district.
— Vitebsk region was the first region in the country to face coronavirus infection in March this year. How do you assess the work of the healthcare system in difficult conditions?
— First of all, I would like to note that work on preventing the import and spread of COVID-19 began even before the first cases were registered in the republic. From the very beginning, a set of preventive measures was implemented, the main goal of which was to protect people's lives and health. Everyone was involved in solving these problems. Doctors, specialists of sanitary and epidemiological services, ambulance crews, and junior medical staff worked in a targeted and coordinated manner. From the first days, the Vitebsk Regional Hospital, the Infectious Diseases Hospital, the City Central Hospital and Hospital No. 1, the Emergency Hospital, and many others joined the front lines of the fight against the pandemic.
Scientists and the teaching staff of Vitebsk State Medical University are making a significant contribution to the fight against coronavirus. Students work side by side with their mentors. They have received, as they say, a real baptism of fire, and have passed the test of loyalty to their future profession.
Based on the experience gained, we have concluded that we are ready to counter the epidemic and that the entire healthcare system of the region is effective.
— It is no secret that you yourself have been ill. Has your personal experience been reflected in the overall work on poti-action against the spread of coronavirus infection in the region?
— The disease has forced us to delve even deeper into the essence of the problem. Perhaps the most important factors for defeating the virus, I would name the determination to resist the infection, adherence to a healthy lifestyle, and self-discipline. Today, more than ever, it is important to observe respiratory etiquette and individual preventive measures to protect one's own health and the safety of others.
My personal experience has convinced me of the correctness of the strategy chosen in our country to combat the pandemic, as well as the tactical steps regarding timely and high-quality care for patients with COVID-19. Medical personnel have proven their ability to respond quickly to challenges, withstand heavy workloads, and work professionally and without interruption in difficult conditions.
— What impact, in your opinion, has COVID-19 had on the economic sector, and how successfully are our enterprises managing to withstand the blow in this difficult time?
— We are resisting the pandemic without stopping production, as we understand the serious consequences this could lead to. The teams of organizations and enterprises are working with the highest level of mobilization, holding, as they say, the economic front, maintaining the reliability and stability of all vital systems.
And what is noteworthy is that many, taking advantage of the situation, have competently adjusted their approaches to organizing production processes, thereby increasing their efficiency. This primarily applies to light industry enterprises, which have increased the output of protective equipment.
Food industry organizations have worked with dignity, ensuring uninterrupted food supplies. Growth was shown by the agricultural sector (105.7 percent compared to January-November 2019), construction (113.2), and industry (excluding oil and energy - 100.4 percent).
— Which sectors were most affected?
— The service sector was hit hardest by the pandemic. Tourism has practically stopped. Leisure organizers, sports and entertainment facilities, and public catering establishments found themselves in almost the same situation. The volume of international passenger traffic has decreased many times over.transportation. Retail sales of non-food goods and services suffered.
To support them, the local authorities of the region adopted a number of decisions, according to which various categories of taxpayers in the second and third quarters of the current year paid reduced land and property taxes, as well as land lease payments. And this difference does not need to be restored to the budget. Such preferences were received by 172 enterprises of the region for an amount exceeding 1.6 million rubles.
— Attempts to destabilize the situation in the country and disrupt the rhythmic work of large industries also add to the concerns...
— The main thing is that a calm socio-political situation is maintained in the Vitebsk region. The provocateurs' plans to destabilize it do not find a response from the overwhelming majority. And this fact disturbs the so-called revolutionaries, who use all possible methods to create tension in society. Such an atmosphere of emotional tension sometimes prevents people from thinking rationally. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the formation of a strong immunity to distorted and provocative facts.
— What tasks do you consider priority in 2021?
— First of all, we must preserve the integrity and unity of our society. It is also important to purposefully continue to develop the region's economy with an emphasis on innovative and investment projects, and not to slow down the pace of work on improving the standard of living in rural areas. I wish everyone health and strength in the new year, so that they can bring all their planned and initiated projects to life through their own labor.
— Nikolai Nikolaevich, 2020 marks the end of the trilogy of the Year of Small Motherland. How has the region changed during this time?
— The declaration of the Year of Small Motherland, first and foremost, prompted us to take a closer look at the problems of small villages and small settlements and to focus on their improvement. Order must be maintained in everything: from household plots and central streets to organizations.
All the events of the Year of Small Motherland trilogy are united by an unconditional goal – to improve the quality of life so that every person, regardless of age and profession, wants to live and work in their native land.
Therefore, no sphere was left unattended: educational institutions were renovated, housing was built, sports facilities were constructed (for example, the Trampoline Jumping Center in Vitebsk), and long-delayed construction projects were commissioned. For instance, the construction of the district hospital in Miory, which began in 1992 and was subsequently frozen, was completed 26 years later – in 2018. The polyclinic in the Yug-7 microdistrict of Vitebsk was commissioned after 9 years, and the therapeutic building of the Orsha City Hospital No. 1 was under construction for almost 7 years.
I want to note separately that much has been achieved in the healthcare system. A quarter of the region's budget is spent on its development. In total, over 100 facilities have been commissioned over the five-year period. These include polyclinics in Verkhnedvinsk, Novolukoml, Chashniki, Rossony, Ushachi, Senno, as well as the Begoml and Bolbasovo district hospitals, the infectious disease ward in Glubokoye, and dental departments in Braslav and Dokshitsy.
A new X-ray diagnostic complex has been installed at the Chashniki District Hospital.
This year, the modernization of the treatment building of the Yurtsevo Regional Hospital for Disabled Veterans of the Great Patriotic War and the major overhaul of the rehabilitation department in Barani, Orsha District, have been completed.
— Vitebsk hosted the regional festival of agricultural workers "Dazhynki" for the first time this year, and significant changes have taken place in the city on the eve of it…
— Every year, following the tradition established by the President, we extensively improve district centers that host the "Dazhynki" festival of agricultural workers. We are improving their infrastructure. In 2018, we renovated about 200 facilities in Verkhnedvinsk, and in 2019, more than a hundred in Braslav.
PHOTO BELTA
Vitebsk was no exception. Over a hundred facilities in the city were given a new lease on life, and new ones were also built. This list includes the reconstructed second building of the Regional Palace of Children and Youth, a new children's outpatient clinic in the Bilevo microdistrict, and a modern sports complex of Vitebsk State University named after Masherov. An air-supported football arena has appeared on the map of Vitebsk. Secondary school No. 47 named after General Ivanovsky, which opened before the new academic year, has no analogues in the region in terms of its technical equipment and design. Freedom Square, the park on Kirova Street, and the Millennium Park have radically changed their appearance. A waste sorting plant has been built.
A new school in the Bilevo microdistrict.
This is a real gift for the residents of the 40,000-strong Bilevo microdistrict and the entire regional center – a new highway, which has become a continuation of Stroiteley Avenue from Brovka Street to Korotkevich Street. Along with the highway, an underground pedestrian crossing has been put into operation. After a global reconstruction with the support of the Head of State, one of the most important transport arteries of Vitebsk has been opened – the Polotsk overpass. The Vitebsk region has become a worthy adornment of the regional center, and a large complex of works has also been carried out in it.
The Polotsk overpass is the central transit artery of the city.
— The achievements of the villagers deserve special attention. This year, for the first time in the last five years, the Vitebsk region has threshed over a million tons of grain.
— The agricultural workers of the Vitebsk region truly have something to be proud of. We managed to grow a good harvest. However, due to the late ripening of grain and the rainy August, the main month of harvesting in our region, farmers had to make considerable efforts to bring it in from the fields. The focus on adhering to the technological regulations for crop cultivation and the use of energy-intensive agricultural machinery has paid off. We are moving forward in this direction. Just the other day, a large batch of tractors from the Minsk Tractor Works arrived in the region, more than 350 units of equipment have been distributed to the organizations of the region's agro-holdings and will show their worth in the spring.
— The work of agro-holdings is under close scrutiny by the country's leadership. To what extent has the creation of these structures justified itself?
— The need to reform the agricultural sector has long been overdue in the region. We needed a fundamentally new, comprehensive approach to its operation, providing opportunities for wage growth, improving the professional level of workers in the agro-industrial complex, and retaining staff in rural areas.
Each of the seven agro-holdings is headed by combines and plants with the highest revenue concentration and a complete production cycle. The results of these associations are best reflected in the figures: for January-November, including tolling raw materials, the volume of industrial production amounted to 1 billion 153 million rubles (108.4 percent compared to the corresponding period last year), and gross agricultural output was 878.9 million rubles (103.6 percent).
— A third of the products manufactured by the region's industrial enterprises are innovative. This has largely helped to keep the region's economy at a decent level. What projects in this area this year do you consider most important, and were all of them successfully implemented?
— I will start by saying that the development of the social sphere is directly dependent on the performance of the real sector of the economy. The VVitebsk region consistently provides 15 percent of the republic's industrial output. If we look not only at what was done in 2020, but also at the outgoing five-year period as a whole, then much has been achieved. Technical re-equipment and modernization of a number of enterprises have been carried out. Vitebsk and Polotsk HPPs have been built. Reconstruction of hydrocleaning units and hydrogen production at Naftan has been completed. Modernization of two factories has been completed: Orsha Flax Mill and Vitebsk Fur Factory. The first stage of the multimodal industrial and logistics center "Bremeno-Orsha" has been commissioned in Orsha district. Great prospects for the future are opening up with the launch of production at the metal rolling plant in Miory district.
— Vitebsk region was the first region in the country to face coronavirus infection in March this year. How do you assess the work of the healthcare system in difficult conditions?
— First of all, I would like to note that work on preventing the import and spread of COVID-19 began even before the first cases were registered in the republic. From the very beginning, a set of preventive measures was implemented, the main goal of which was to protect people's lives and health. Everyone was involved in solving these problems. Doctors, specialists of sanitary and epidemiological services, ambulance crews, and junior medical staff worked in a targeted and coordinated manner. From the first days, the Vitebsk Regional Hospital, the Infectious Diseases Hospital, the City Central Hospital and Hospital No. 1, the Emergency Hospital, and many others joined the front lines of the fight against the pandemic.
Scientists and the teaching staff of Vitebsk State Medical University are making a significant contribution to the fight against coronavirus. Students work side by side with their mentors. They have received, as they say, a real baptism of fire, and have passed the test of loyalty to their future profession.
Based on the experience gained, we have concluded that we are ready to counter the epidemic and that the entire healthcare system of the region is effective.
— It is no secret that you yourself have been ill. Has your personal experience been reflected in the overall work on poti-action against the spread of coronavirus infection in the region?
— The disease has forced us to delve even deeper into the essence of the problem. Perhaps the most important factors for defeating the virus, I would name the determination to resist the infection, adherence to a healthy lifestyle, and self-discipline. Today, more than ever, it is important to observe respiratory etiquette and individual preventive measures to protect one's own health and the safety of others.
My personal experience has convinced me of the correctness of the strategy chosen in our country to combat the pandemic, as well as the tactical steps regarding timely and high-quality care for patients with COVID-19. Medical personnel have proven their ability to respond quickly to challenges, withstand heavy workloads, and work professionally and without interruption in difficult conditions.
— What impact, in your opinion, has COVID-19 had on the economic sector, and how successfully are our enterprises managing to withstand the blow in this difficult time?
— We are resisting the pandemic without stopping production, as we understand the serious consequences this could lead to. The teams of organizations and enterprises are working with the highest level of mobilization, holding, as they say, the economic front, maintaining the reliability and stability of all vital systems.
And what is noteworthy is that many, taking advantage of the situation, have competently adjusted their approaches to organizing production processes, thereby increasing their efficiency. This primarily applies to light industry enterprises, which have increased the output of protective equipment.
Food industry organizations have worked with dignity, ensuring uninterrupted food supplies. Growth was shown by the agricultural sector (105.7 percent compared to January-November 2019), construction (113.2), and industry (excluding oil and energy - 100.4 percent).
— Which sectors were most affected?
— The service sector was hit hardest by the pandemic. Tourism has practically stopped. Leisure organizers, sports and entertainment facilities, and public catering establishments found themselves in almost the same situation. The volume of international passenger traffic has decreased many times over.transportation. Retail sales of non-food goods and services suffered.
To support them, the local authorities of the region adopted a number of decisions, according to which various categories of taxpayers in the second and third quarters of the current year paid reduced land and property taxes, as well as land lease payments. And this difference does not need to be restored to the budget. Such preferences were received by 172 enterprises of the region for an amount exceeding 1.6 million rubles.
— Attempts to destabilize the situation in the country and disrupt the rhythmic work of large industries also add to the concerns...
— The main thing is that a calm socio-political situation is maintained in the Vitebsk region. The provocateurs' plans to destabilize it do not find a response from the overwhelming majority. And this fact disturbs the so-called revolutionaries, who use all possible methods to create tension in society. Such an atmosphere of emotional tension sometimes prevents people from thinking rationally. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the formation of a strong immunity to distorted and provocative facts.
— What tasks do you consider priority in 2021?
— First of all, we must preserve the integrity and unity of our society. It is also important to purposefully continue to develop the region's economy with an emphasis on innovative and investment projects, and not to slow down the pace of work on improving the standard of living in rural areas. I wish everyone health and strength in the new year, so that they can bring all their planned and initiated projects to life through their own labor.