The social orientation of the Belarusian economy will be preserved - A. Lukashenko

December 31, Minsk /BELTA/. Belarus will definitely maintain the social orientation of its economy. This was stated on December 30 by the head of state, Alexander Lukashenko, during his visit to the state institution "City Boarding House for War and Labor Veterans 'Svitanak'". This was reported to BELTA by the press service of the Belarusian leader. The President of Belarus familiarized himself with the organization of social support for the elderly in the country and heard reports on the implementation of his instructions in this area. The head of state learned about the living, treatment, and rehabilitation conditions for war and labor veterans at the boarding house. The facility was commissioned on November 24, 2010. Previously, the building housed a sanatorium-preventorium of the same name belonging to OJSC "Belmedpreparaty," which was later repurposed. Alexander Lukashenko visited the wheelchair users' ward, inspected the dining hall, the physical therapy department, the therapeutic exercise room, the dental office, the residential rooms, the relaxation room, and other premises. The head of state was also shown a social taxi, which operates in Minsk and provides free transportation services for Group I disabled individuals and wheelchair users. In addition, the President viewed an exhibition of paintings by veterans residing in stationary social service institutions in Minsk. Two paintings were presented to the head of the Belarusian state as gifts. At a festive table set in the assembly hall, Alexander Lukashenko engaged in an interesting conversation with the residents of the boarding house and discussed their pressing issues at length. Incidentally, the head of state specially brought a cake shaped like a rabbit, the symbol of the upcoming 2011 according to the Eastern calendar, for the table. On behalf of the President, a home theater assembled at OJSC "Gorizont" was also presented as a gift to the boarding house. The "Svitanak" boarding house is a high-comfort facility that meets Minsk's needs for medical and social services for disabled individuals and the elderly who find themselves in difficult life situations, including those requiring constant care. The residential block (a 6-story building with 150 beds) complies with barrier-free environment requirements and is designed to accommodate residents with varying degrees of self-care loss in single and double rooms with en-suite facilities. In total, nine stationary institutions for the elderly and disabled are currently operating within Minsk's social service system, housing approximately 2.4 thousand people. Favorable conditions for living, nutrition, medical care, and leisure have been created in these institutions. As of October 1, 2010, 2.1 million elderly citizens resided in the republic, accounting for 22.1% of the country's population. A total of over 27% of the republic's population is covered by pension provision. Since 2006, in accordance with the head of state's decisions, 11 recalculations of labor pensions have been carried out, taking into account wage growth, the last one being in November 2010. Currently, pensioners have practically been removed from the category of low-income individuals: it is estimated that in 2010, the average monthly minimum old-age pension will exceed the pensioner's living wage by more than 19%. The real old-age pension for the five-year period (2006-2010) will increase 1.61 times. As reported to the President by the Minister of Labor and Social Protection, Marianna Shchetkina, a model of social protection for the population has been established in Belarus, and all social standards are fully met. According to her, the average old-age pension currently stands at Br612 thousand. The main tasks of social protection for the population are to strengthen support for the most vulnerable citizens and create conditions for improving their standard of living, ensuring the accessibility of social assistance. To provide incapacitated citizens with timely, accessible, and high-quality social services, territorial centers for social services for the population operate in all administrative districts, totaling 154 across the country, with 1.6 million people registered. One of the most in-demand forms is home-based social services. Currently, home social assistance departments serve 83.6 thousand people, about 70% of whom live in rural areas. In addition, 74 stationary social service institutions for the elderly and disabled operate in Belarus, housing over 17 thousand people. However, there are also a number of shortcomings in the area of social services. In particular, many buildings and premises of social institutions require repair and re-equipment. A comprehensive program for social services for 2011-2015 is aimed at addressing these and other problematic issues. According to Marianna Shchetkina, volunteers and public associations should be actively involved in this work, alongside the implementation of modern technologies. As reported to the head of state by the Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee, Nikolai Ladutko, a document on the development of two types of annuity services, which are new for Belarus but have long been implemented and successfully operate in some European countries, has been prepared jointly with the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and submitted to the government. The first type of such service involves, for example, an elderly single person entering into an agreement with a social agency, according to which their apartment becomes municipal property. In return, such a person receives the right to full lifelong support: they will be provided with food, their utility bills will be paid, and so on. Such a person will also receive a small annuity for life, and after their death, the apartment will be sold or transferred in accordance with current legislation. Alexander Lukashenko approved this idea. "This must be implemented immediately," he said. At the same time, the head of state noted: "It must be ensured that this apartment is only sold and not allocated to anyone. And then it can be financed from the budget if someone needs to be provided with a free apartment or at half price." The second type of annuity service involves the apartment being transferred to the disposal of a municipal legal entity under an agreement and, after necessary repairs, being leased out. The person is placed in a state social institution, receives a certain lifelong annuity, and a full range of services. After their death, the apartment also becomes municipal property. According to Nikolai Ladutko, approximately 4,000 single citizens have already been surveyed in Minsk regarding this issue, and about 700 of them have stated that they would agree to such services. The Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee also noted that in Minsk alone, there are about 20,000 single elderly citizens, of whom 10,000 own privatized apartments. "This should be offered to everyone who wants it, not necessarily only to single people. People need to be explained. Anyone will agree if they are sure that the state will guarantee them services in return for this housing," said Alexander Lukashenko, emphasizing that high-quality services must also be ensured. "The state must do this, not leave it to the 'shadow economy'," he added. Furthermore, according to the head of state, the entire social support system should be simplified. "It should be simple and understandable for everyone," he said. "Everything must be brought into line and this system must be stripped of all populism. We must clearly understand what we can and cannot do." The President also emphasized: "There is only one criterion - those who need help must unequivocally be provided for." While having tea with the residents of the boarding house, Alexander Lukashenko noted that, in his opinion, many of them are too young to be in such an institution, as he saw many smiling faces and still active elderly people. "But there are those who need help," said the President. "We must ensure that lonely people who have fallen into misfortune feel social support: a state is valued by its attitude towards children and the elderly." "First and foremost, we will help children and the elderly," emphasized Alexander Lukashenko. According to the President, Belarus will continue the practice of resettling children from orphanages into families or family-type homes. In total, there are currently about 32,000 children in the republic who are orphaned or have had their parental rights revoked. In the next five years, the majority of them will be placed in families. "Of course, a couple of orphanages will remain, as not all children are capable (due to various psychophysical characteristics) of living in foster families, but within five years, we will largely solve the problem of abandoned children," emphasized the Belarusian leader. He also added that negligent parents, who are forced by the state to reimburse the costs of maintaining their children, will not be let off the hook. Then, the President of Belarus answered questions from media representatives. In particular, journalists asked whether the state could continue to maintain a strong social policy in the face of rising gas prices and the need to concentrate funds on modernizing the economy. "We will maintain the social orientation of our economy at all costs," emphasized the head of state. According to him, the country has all the opportunities to prevent a decline in people's living standards. Alexander Lukashenko noted that problems that can be solved in other ways will not be shifted onto people. "If there is an extra penny, it will go to the people; we will give every ruble to the people, these are good investments in the future," said the head of state. "If it gets difficult, it will be difficult for everyone: both the President and the people." At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko stressed that there are no major problems that would complicate people's lives or make them worse than last year. "We have all the opportunities to prevent a decline in people's living standards. And the global situation is such that if we work normally, everyone will try to earn, and we will live normally," said the President. Responding to a journalist's remark that before the elections, opposition representatives claimed that all increases in salaries, pensions, and scholarships were merely PR stunts by the current government and could not be sustained, Alexander Lukashenko said: "God grant that I and the entire government have the opportunity to engage in such PR, because such PR is very costly for the state if it is not economically justified." "Everything that is done in the country in social terms is economically justified," he emphasized. "Rising prices for hydrocarbon raw materials affect the country and people, but it is easier to bear all this when there is this 'PR' in the form of wage, pension, and benefit increases." Alexander Lukashenko assured that in the future, the state will be no less actively involved in modernizing the economy, while simultaneously improving people's lives. Media representatives noted that the Belarusian market reform program is closely monitored by businesses both domestically and by foreign investors. Responding to a question about when Directive No. 4 on liberalizing economic relations would be adopted, Alexander Lukashenko said that businessmen should not wait for the directive but start working. "If we had no business at all, this question would be relevant. The directive should provide an additional impetus to the development of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial initiative in the country," said the head of state. "And where there are bottlenecks, it should widen them. As for the expectations of businessmen, there is no need to wait, you need to go and work." According to Alexander Lukashenko, to some extent, the problem also lies in the fact that many consider themselves capable of doing business. "You know, it's even more difficult than working as the head of a state enterprise or being a civil servant. There (in business), you are simultaneously your own civil servant, businessman, accountant, supply manager, sales manager, and so on," he noted. "Therefore, a person goes into business, encounters problems, and shouts: 'Oh, the conditions are not created for us, they hinder us.' We must objectively understand that not everyone can do business," believes the head of state. He also noted that businessmen often want to avoid paying taxes altogether. But the state, according to the President, cannot agree to this. "Where, in which country does business not pay taxes? The state is supported by business. Therefore, there can be no question of that," said Alexander Lukashenko. It is another matter, he continued, if, for example, when opening necessary, in-demand production facilities in the country, primarily focused on import substitution, they are provided with preferential tax conditions for the initial period. "Therefore, these decisions have been made. The liberalization directive should provide some additional impetus. So, if someone abroad or here is waiting for this directive like manna from heaven, it is a big mistake. You need to start working now, we have everything for that," emphasized the head of state. "People need to calm down and look at their abilities: whether you can or not. The directive is not a problem, it will be, since we promised. And with this directive, we will remove all problems and claims against government bodies. But you need to understand yourself that business depends only on you," noted Alexander Lukashenko. Journalists also asked the head of state about the path of independent Belarus in the coming years and how relations with partners in the West and East would be built against the backdrop of the foreign policy situation that has developed after the riots organized by the opposition on December 19. Alexander Lukashenko noted that Belarus has existed as an independent country for over a decade and a half. "Do you remember us developing against a normal foreign policy and economic background? We have always had problems, and the problems were not only ours," he said. In his opinion, the reason for this is that "15 states appeared in place of one, and a place was not reserved for them." "Someone had to make way, and even now someone has to make way a little in this crowded world. All problems stem from this," noted the head of state. "No one needs - neither Russia, nor Poland, nor Germany - a successful state that positions itself as sovereign and independent. But we need it. Hence these main contradictions. Well, a pretext or even a reason can be found to bring down, especially our country." Regarding the negative assessments of the election results, Alexander Lukashenko, addressing the journalists, noted: "You, like me, felt that we have developed such democracy here that there is nowhere further to go. And we know the objective assessments of our elections. That they (OSCE observers) came here with a pre-written text, I will say frankly, I read this text a month before the elections.