Almost 6,000 homes built in Vitebsk region during four years of the village revival program implementation

  Thanks to the program, the development of the social sphere in rural areas has received an additional impetus, and all state standards for public services have been met. August 13, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. During the implementation of the state program for the revival and development of rural areas from 2005 to 2008, almost 6,000 residential buildings were constructed for rural residents in the Vitebsk region, Vasily Bereznyakov, Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Committee for Agriculture and Food, told a BELTA correspondent. According to him, thanks to the program, the development of the social sphere in rural areas has received an additional impetus, and all state standards for public services have been met. For example, almost every third rural resident in the region has a landline telephone. 75 general medical practice outpatient clinics have been established in the districts, serving the population within a 10-15 km radius, and 30 new-type cultural institutions have appeared, combining a club, a library, and an entertainment center. Over 100 additional mini-shops have been opened, and the reconstruction of over 1,200 retail outlets with a shift to self-service has been carried out. However, Vasily Bereznyakov considers the growth of employment to be one of the most important social indicators of the program. Since the beginning of the program's implementation, more than 400 jobs have been created in rural areas. The creation of new types of rural settlements – agro-towns – has largely contributed to the sustainable development of rural territories, the specialist emphasized. Currently, there are 147 of them in the region. This year, another 45 rural settlements will receive this status, and by the end of 2010, 256 villages will become agro-towns, where appropriate production and social infrastructure will be created. This year, Br130 billion has been allocated from the budget for the implementation of the rural revival program. -0-