Events

Belarusian Economy Ministry works out plan to develop underperforming regions

MINSK, 27 August (BelTA) – The Economy Ministry and the oblast administrations have put together a comprehensive plan on developing 31 regions of Belarus, which lag behind in terms of social and economic development. The document was discussed during the session of the Council of Ministers’ Presidium on 27 August, BelTA has learned.

Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Rumas said: “The main task is to pull up the underperforming regions to the country’s average. It will not be easy to accomplish. It is necessary to enable conditions not only for the real sector but for attracting workforce, reducing the outgoing migration by creating comfortable living standards.”

The document is tentatively named the plan on industrializing underperforming regions. However, the head of government believes that development is a more fitting term than industrialization. “The development of territories can be driven not only by the manufacturing sector but also by the sphere of services, in particular, tourism, which is of burning interest for the underperforming regions,” he explained.

The plan’s implementation is supposed to allow 11 regions to stop underperforming while five other regions will get close to being able to do that.

Sergei Rumas asked the Economy Ministry to explain what real effect the plan’s implementation would produce for residents in these regions and how living standards would be affected.

Apart from that, top officials of the oblast administrations are expected to make speeches during today’s session. They will explain whether all the suggested projects have real sources of finance and whether the implementation of the projects would stop halfway or not.

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