In the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Polotsk, laureates of the regional award "Person of the Year of Vitebsk Region" were honored today.
– The St. Sophia Cathedral, a pearl of ancient architecture, symbolizes the historical memory of the Belarusian people, their aspiration for independence, economic power, and high culture. This is also inherent in the laureates of the honorary title "Person of the Year of Vitebsk Region". This award is not a momentary triumph, but an authority that has been forged over the years, professionalism, perseverance, and progressive approaches, – said Alexander Mikhailovich, addressing the laureates. – There is no doubt that you are doing much more than your award certificates and nominations say. Your conscientious work and determination open up new horizons in various industries and strengthen the image of the entire region.
The best representatives of various fields of activity are determined based on the results of work during the year. 2021 was not easy, but productive.
For creating an effective training system, math teacher at Vitebsk Gymnasium No. 2 Svetlana Matrosova became a laureate. Under her leadership, seven students received diplomas at the final stage of the republican оlympiad in the specialized subject last year. Her student Andrey Shadrin won a silver medal at the IV International Olympiad in Exact Sciences "Talent Preparation Laboratory", which was held in Azerbaijan.
Thanks to the management decisions of the Rector of VSU named after P.M. Masherov, Valentina Bogatyreva, a significant increase in extra-budgetary resources has been ensured: in 2020 and 2021, the volume exceeded 2018 and 2019 by 2.5 times. This created a financial opportunity to increase investments in the renewal of material and technical equipment by more than six times. Last year, the university became the owner of the Grand Prix of the International Business Award "Leader of the Year", received the Government Award for achieving significant results in the field of quality, and was among the eight universities in Belarus to enter the rating of the best educational institutions in Europe and Central Asia.
Among the awardees are young people, including those from the cultural sphere. Elizaveta Zasimovitch, a 4th-year student of the Vitebsk State Musical College named after I.I. Sollertinsky, became the owner of a first-degree diploma at the prestigious International Competition "Talents of Europe" held in Spain last year. She also holds the title of laureate of the third degree at the International Moscow Music Competition. The girl also remembers her first major concert with the symphony orchestra of the Vitebsk Regional Philharmonic.
– In the phrase "person of the year," the word "person" is most important to me. These are people who have brought goodness and light, and have done everything in their power to make the world a little better. It's great that young people are also becoming laureates of this award, because we have many talented young people, – shared Elizaveta.
Young athletes from the Vitebsk region also received awards. Last year, athletes from the region won 122 medals at official international competitions, including 41 gold medals. The trainees of the Vitebsk trampoline school are particularly pleasing. Ivan Litvinovich became an Olympic champion in Tokyo. Oleg Ryabtsev, in the same sport, won a gold medal at the European Championships in Sochi in the individual event, synchronized jumps, and team event, and at the World Championships in Baku, he was awarded a bronze medal in individual competitions and gold in synchronized jumps and team competitions.
Much is being done to ensure that every resident of the Vitebsk region has access to affordable and high-quality medical care, and that the working conditions of medical workers meet all modern requirements. A quarter of the region's budget is spent on these purposes. Hospitals are being modernized, and new equipment is being purchased. Doing everything possible to preserve people's health and lives is the professional and human motto of the head of the main department for healthcare of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Mikhail Vishnevetsky. Under his leadership, in 2021, effective work was organized in the region to provide medical care to patients with coronavirus, the region's phthisiatric service was reorganized, the reform of the ambulance service began, the system of inter-district centers was optimized, the vehicle fleet was updated, five computed tomographs were put into operation, and new modern medical equipment was purchased.
"Vitebskdrev," headed by Yuri Doylin, is focusing on the production of highly profitable types of products. By adjusting the approaches to organizing technological processes, the enterprise has doubled its production volume, and its export volume has exceeded the pre-pandemic period by five (!) times.
The enterprise "Manuli Hydraulics Manufacturing Bel" in the Orsha district, headed by Andrey Ivanyuk, is developing along a similar path. Here, they have mastered the production of 92 different types of hydraulic hoses used by global leaders in mechanical engineering (Volvo, Toyota, JCB, and others).
One-third of the products manufactured by the industry of the Vitebsk region are innovative. This direction is at the center of attention of the enterprise "Polotsk-Steкловолокно" and its General Director Roman Bliznev. Under his leadership, a workshop for the production of thermochemically treated electrical insulating materials for foiled dielectrics has been commissioned. This project, unique for the industry in the CIS countries, will allow the enterprise to produce, for example, printed circuit boards for mobile phones, computers, and televisions.
One of the drivers of economic growth and social stability is investment. Alongside traditional facilities such as residential buildings, roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and shopping centers, "tomorrow's" production facilities are emerging. A rapid freezing workshop has been commissioned at "Tolochinsky Cannery," a hydraulic lift manufacturing unit at "Orsha Tool Plant," a finishing line for needle-punched carpets at "Vitebsk Carpets," a grating production workshop as part of an innovative project at "Novopolotsk Plant of Technological Metal Structures," and a mold workshop for producing hollow-core slabs using the slipform method at the "SZhB No. 3 Vitebsk" branch of "Krichevcementnoshifer" company. 24 new industrial enterprises and production facilities have been created.
The priority is the development of the agro-industrial complex, which accounts for one-fifth of the gross regional product, more than a quarter of investments, and almost 20 percent of all employed in the real sector of the economy. The labor of each of them forms the overall result. The direction taken by the region to create modern robotic livestock facilities and equip them with new high-performance machinery is proving effective.
Tractor driver-machinist of the "Olgovskoye" farm in the Vitebsk region, Alexander Komarovsky, harvested 13,440 tons of silage, 3,190 tons of green mass, and 17,258 tons of haylage during the past agricultural season. This amounts to almost 80 percent of the total volume of fodder harvested on the farm and 10 percent of all fodder in the district. His work made it possible to ensure the year-round maintenance of a dairy herd of one and a half thousand heads.
– I have been in agriculture for almost forty years. My mother was a teacher, and my father was an agronomist. I liked working the land since childhood. I got my driver's license in school, and then I trained as a tractor driver. You can't achieve good results alone: someone mows, someone rakes, and someone hauls. We have a good team, so the results are good, – said Alexander Alekseevich.
Livestock breeding is rightfully the foundation for the development of the agricultural sector. The increase in agricultural production volumes and, consequently, the well-being of the organization directly depend on the successful work of the people involved in this segment. A significant contribution to the development of the "Shayterovo" agricultural enterprise in the Verkhnedvinsk district was made by machine milking operator Natalia Shkinder: the average milk yield per cow was 8536 kilograms.
An important task is to improve the quality of housing and communal services. Last year, a waste sorting plant was commissioned for Vitebsk, with a capacity to process one hundred thousand tons of waste per year, and the construction of a solid waste landfill in Orsha has begun. Director of the unitary enterprise for housing and communal services of the Shumilino district, Alexey Shpakov, makes a significant contribution to the development of the industry. Under his leadership, work was carried out to reconstruct heating networks at five facilities, the second stage of the central boiler house, and current repairs of 28 residential buildings for the regional "Dozhinki" festival in Shumilino.
Much has been done to preserve the memory of the feat of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War. This activity has been elevated to a cult by the chief custodian of the funds of the regional museum of the Hero of the Soviet Union Minay Filippovich Shmyrev, Denis Yakovlev. Based at the museum, he oversees the work of the regional center for perpetuating the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland and victims of wars. Over 11 years, more than 200,000 names of those who died in those years have been entered into the electronic database "Book of Memory. Vitebsk Region". As a result of archival and research work, more than 40,000 names of those killed and missing in action have been identified, who were not previously listed in the records of military burial passports.
– Dear laureates of the honorary title "Person of the Year of Vitebsk Region"! The results you have achieved are of particular value to our region. Through your activities, you prove how boundless is what a person can do, driven by the desire to make their region stronger and more beautiful. I sincerely congratulate you on your well-deserved recognition! Thank you very much for your conscientious work, dedication, initiative, and innovation! – said Alexander Subbotin at the end of the ceremony.
