Over the period since the previous report, Vladimir Vladimirovich noted, important socio-political events have taken place. The Sixth All-Belarusian People's Congress defined the strategy for the socio-economic development of our country for the next five-year period. The Republican Referendum was held in the Year of Historical Memory – a period of forming an objective attitude of society towards the historical past, preserving and strengthening the unity of the Belarusian people. Deputies took direct active part in these campaigns.
60 deputies were elected to the Regional Council, of whom 53 are currently exercising their powers. 77 percent of the deputy corps are heads of enterprises and institutions, the average age is 54.5 years. They represent all spheres of society. This is a professional, creative team that combines traditions, experience, and at the same time a new outlook and fresh ideas on current pressing issues, ready to actively influence the socio-economic development of the region and solve the vital issues of the population.
The speaker spoke about how many such issues were resolved. There are 220 local Councils of Deputies in the region, including the regional one, 23 at the basic territorial level, and 196 at the primary level. During the reporting period, 2217 sessions of local Councils of Deputies were held, including 17 sessions of the Regional Council. 5759 issues were considered, of which 121 were directly at the sessions of the Regional Council of Deputies. The people's elected representatives focused on aspects of budget formation and socio-economic development indicators of the regions, state property management, taxes and fees credited to the local budget, development of the healthcare system, state support for household service organizations, consumer cooperation, financial recovery of business entities, support for personal subsidiary plots, and many others.
During the inter-session periods, the presidium of the Regional Council of Deputies actively worked, ensuring the continuity of the Council's activities and monitoring the implementation of its work plan. Special attention was paid to issues of bringing inefficiently used state property into economic circulation, mobilizing revenues into the regional budget, working with vacant houses, organizing summer recreation for children, and many others.
The implementation of programs in the social sphere and economic sectors, and consequently, the resolution of issues related to the population's livelihood and the satisfaction of their needs and demands, directly depend on the performance of the economy and budget formation. Deputies also regularly analyzed these issues. Despite all existing difficulties and limitations, the situation in the region remains stable and controlled, and the balance of the budget system is ensured, stated Vladimir Terentyev.
He highlighted problematic aspects of the local economy's functioning, where authorities, including representative bodies, need to intensify their activities. This includes the prompt and high-quality provision of works for the improvement of populated areas, enhancement of their street conditions, and the replacement of street lighting fixtures with LED ones, transferring these systems to energy companies for maintenance.
Vitebsk region has proven itself well in organizing temporary employment for citizens through paid work. This year, 1.6 million rubles are planned for these purposes. It is necessary to intensify efforts to increase the inflow of self-taxation funds into primary level budgets, which are used for improvement works. As a rule, funds from the budget are additionally allocated to voluntary contributions for more significant projects. The creation of communal enterprises for the provision of services to the population in those village councils where no agricultural organizations remain after reorganization remains relevant.
Much has been done and is being done, but life constantly presents new challenges. And their timely and successful resolution, as emphasized by the Chairman of the Regional Council, largely depends on the activity of people's elected representatives, the effective work of local self-government bodies, and their ability to find new forms of work, including by actively supporting civic initiatives for the development of specific territories. There are many such people in the region, and Vladimir Terentyev cited numerous examples; working with the population and addressing residents' concerns to the authorities is the primary measure of effectiveness and authority for deputies at all levels. This applies primarily to deputies of rural councils. It is necessary to strengthen authorities at the primary level, upon which the preservation of villages largely depends. Over the past 20 years, the rural population of Vitebsk region has decreased by 200,000: from 454,000 to 254,000. The number of educational institutions in rural areas has decreased by 216 since 2012, and the number of agricultural enterprises has reduced.
The report discussion at the session was addressed by the chairpersons of the Lepel, Dubrovno, and Senno District Councils of Deputies, Igor Urban, Elena Tikhonova, and Mikhail Vilyuga, and the head of the Osvyeyevsky Village Council of the Verkhnedvinsk District, Sergey Navitsky, who shared their experience in successfully resolving a number of local issues.
Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by
