On April 29, Grodno / Olga Belyavskaya - BELTA /. Belarus will not reduce funding for social programs. This was stated by the Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Anatoly Tozik today at a seminar for heads of republican media in Grodno, BELTA correspondent reports. "No cuts in the social sphere are planned," the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized. In his opinion, sufficient funds are currently allocated in Belarus to address social problems. At the same time, during the current five-year period, the main focus will be on modernizing the economy. "Today, everything we have, everything we can, must be directed towards modernizing the economy," Anatoly Tozik stressed. "If we don't do this, we won't have the funds for the development of the social sphere." According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the social sphere, while spending budget funds, must also be able to earn money independently. As an example, Anatoly Tozik cited the cultural and educational sector. "Today we have directed huge funds to the reconstruction of castles, but they are not earning. Why?" the Deputy Prime Minister asked a reasonable question. "Today, the Ministry of Culture is mainly a consumer and gives nothing back to the budget, although it should." According to Anatoly Tozik, a much greater return to the budget is also expected from the Ministry of Education, in particular, additional revenues need to be increased by increasing the number of foreign students studying in Belarus. The Deputy Head of Government noted that, in general, the main resources in the Belarusian economy during the current five-year period should be concentrated in science-intensive and high-tech sectors, including the IT sector, the pharmaceutical industry, and biotechnology. Special attention will be paid to the development of the service sector. "It accounts for 40-41% of our GDP, while in successfully developed countries it reaches up to 70%," he said. Anatoly Tozik also added that Belarus needs to develop its tourism potential more effectively. "We have many things that the world does not have, including unique nature," he recalled. "If we used this potential to its full extent, we could receive up to a third of GDP." -0-

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