There are no plans in Belarus to reduce budget spending on the social sphere - V. Andreichenko

March 16, Minsk / Ekaterina Nechaeva - BELTA /. There are no plans to reduce budget spending on the social sphere in Belarus. This was stated today to journalists by the Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, Vladimir Andreichenko, in response to a question from a BELTA correspondent. Commenting on recent rumors in some media that the state will allegedly increase support for the real sector of the economy by reducing spending on the social sphere, Vladimir Andreichenko said that he "heard such talks" but considers them "mere speculation." "There will be no cuts in the budget sector," he assured, emphasizing that the budget for this year provides for an increase in spending on the budget sector by 35%. According to Vladimir Andreichenko, all residents of Belarus should correctly assess the special attention that the state has recently paid to supporting the real sector of the economy and modernizing enterprises. The speaker is convinced that such support is necessary. "If we do not develop production, if we do not follow the innovative path of development... Without this, it is impossible to raise the social sphere to a higher level. Today, raw materials and materials account for a large share of manufactured products, but we need a large share of intellect and knowledge," stated the Chairman of the House of Representatives. -0-