The Legislative Duma of Tomsk Oblast
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Address by Boris MALTSEV at the L Session of the Legislative Duma of Tomsk Oblast (June 30, 2011)
The Speaker opened his address with the traditional greeting of the Duma deputies, Governor, journalists invited to the session and members of public organizations.
Boris Maltsev told about the main events of June 2011: 70-year anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War (22.06.1941); complex foreign political environment in Libya and upheaval in Yemen; events involving lethal infection putting in jeopardy lives of the Europeans.
One of the chief events of June was the Saint-Petersburg Economic Forum, where the Russian President stated his viewpoint how the country can fulfill its potential. The President called to reduce the governmental interference into economy, identified the necessity to bring changes into political system. At the Forum Viktor Kress, the Governor of Tomsk Oblast, came forward with initiatives as regards innovative economic development. His speech awoke interest of the participants and mass media.
The Speaker made a point about the new political force established in the country – the Right Cause party. According to Boris Maltsev, the party leader Mikhail Prokhorov intends to give the United Russia a good run for its voters. Another noticeable political news was that Valentina Matvienko was proposed to take up the position of the Federation Council Speaker. She is really an outstanding politician with the extensive term of service and experience as a governor.
The Oblast economy is emerging from the crisis. Performance in many sectors reached back the pre-crisis level. The crisis problems remain in construction – the most important sector for economy and social security! In this situation the perennial question “What to do?” could be answered by the Strategy for Construction Sector Development as regards our region.
Lately, we have been increasingly recollecting the words of the great pragmatist Winston Churchill. ‘However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results’.
As a result of the Strategy for poverty reducing in the Oblast adopted by the Oblast Duma in remote 2004, we adopted the Concept of the Well-Being Improvement for the Tomsk Oblast citizens in 2008.
These documents have been executed in two directions. First – social support, and second – provision of conditions for people to overcome hardships by themselves. On the principle – fish for the weak, line for the strong. Results are obvious: In 2005 – the first year after the strategy was adopted – the spending for social support measures made up 1.4bn rubles; and 2011 budget is going to allocate about 6bn rubles for these objectives. The increase is over 400 per cent.
Along with the money allocated for poverty reduction a number of other measures were undertaken. Only in 2010 the Oblast executed 60 measures of the Strategy: employment, growth of earned income of the citizens, increase in nominal and actual wages, increase in remuneration in the state-financed sectors, and implementation of a number of social programs.
About the agenda
Agenda included 48 items covering multiple sides of the citizens’ lives. Starting with the newborns – when we talk about the regional maternity capital, ending up with the seniors – when we will review the Law “On social services for citizens”, which gives the senior people a possibility to live in foster families. The bills are far from being simple. However they are of great importance.
Considerable part of the session issues refers to the controlling functions of the Oblast Duma. ‘These are: control for performance 2010 Oblast budget and Compulsory Health Insurance budget, implementation of the state property privatization program and reporting on the activity of the regional state unitary enterprises.
We will need to control, sum up the results of the previous financial year, as well as efficiently distribute additional 1.32bn rubles by introducing relevant amendments to the current year budget.
© The State Duma of the Tomsk oblast, 2007-2024