The creation of agro-towns will be completed in this five-year period - A. Lukashenko

April 26, Cherikovsky District /Tatyana Polezhay - BELTA/. The creation of agro-towns in Belarus will be completed within this five-year period. This was stated today by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko during his visit to the agro-town of Yezery in the Cherikovsky District of the Mogilev Region, according to a BELTA correspondent. By the end of the five-year period, there will be over 1,500 agro-towns in Belarus. In the future, large villages located near agro-towns will be improved. As the President noted, in the next five-year period, the main efforts will be concentrated on developing the country's production base. The agro-town of Yezery, which Alexander Lukashenko visited today, was the first one created in the country. The Head of State noted that he particularly likes such agro-towns where the spirit of the village has been preserved. In addition, all conditions for a normal life for people have been created here: there is a shop, a kindergarten, a school, and a public service center. According to the President, 30% of the population in Belarus lives in rural areas, while this figure is 6% worldwide. "I would like to preserve this 30% of the rural population," he said. "We need to preserve the village; this is our main task." Communicating with the residents of the agro-town, the President expressed his conviction that the funds invested in these areas and the revival of the lands were not in vain. As reported to the Head of State, the incidence of childhood diseases in the Cherikovsky District is 30% lower than in the region as a whole, and for the adult population, it is 20% lower. Over the past 5 years, only one case of "dirty" milk was detected, which occurred in 2006. In the territories affected by the Chernobyl NPP accident, there is a positive trend of decreasing land contamination. In some regions, work is underway to return lands previously withdrawn from agricultural use. The Head of State familiarized himself with the development of the social sphere in the agro-town and district, and the measures taken to eliminate the consequences of the Chernobyl NPP accident. Alexander Lukashenko visited the Cherikovsky branch of the Children and Youth Sports School of the Olympic Reserve, where future biathletes are trained. Pupils of this school annually become winners and prize-winners of various regional and republican competitions. One of them is Vladimir Chepelin, a bronze medalist of the 2009 Biathlon World Junior Championships. Alexander Lukashenko also visited the Yezery kindergarten, where he communicated with staff and children. The Head of State presented the branch of the Children and Youth Sports School of the Olympic Reserve with sets of sports equipment, and the kindergarten with toys. -0-