In the beginning of the conversation, the President noted that the situation in the Republic is stable: industrial production is on the rise and there are other positive trends as well.
Alexander Brechalov first told the President about support for the participants in the special military operation and their families. He said he had visited the frontline where a regiment mobilised from Udmurtia is deployed; he went to trenches and dugouts. Mr Brechalov emphasised that he was pleased to hear from the force command about the high quality of organisation and training of the fighters. He said that special attention was being paid to medical services and rehabilitation. The regional authorities are working with the Healthcare Ministry to improve the material and technical base of the regional hospital for war veterans.
Then, the Head of the Republic focused on current issues. First, he mentioned the shortage of doctors at hospitals. Although more specialists have joined the sector in the past two years, the problem still exists.
Roads are the second problem. Although the Safe and Quality Roads national project provides opportunities for expanding the construction, upgrading and repair of roads, the quality still leaves much to be desired. To improve the situation, the Republic’s authorities are engaging public organisations, professionals in that area and active citizens to control the delivery and acceptance of facilities. This is producing good results. The third problem is the Republic’s fiscal capacity and regional debt level. The region is operating at a deficit due to the growth of deductions into the federal budget, especially since 2020.
Vladimir Putin recalled one more problem – kindergartens. Mr Brechalov said they had made a great leap in building 54 kindergartens in the past five years but admitted that the region still needs more kindergartens and schools too. It is maintaining the same construction pace owing to the Government’s support.
As for the key indicators, according to Alexander Brechalov, the Republic’s GRP reached 910 billion rubles in 2022, which is a 340-billion increase over the past five years, with investment in fixed capital of about 137 billion rubles. Importantly, the average monthly salary is approaching 45,000 rubles across the region. It is also important that the Republic has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country: 3.4 percent.
Alexander Brechalov also noted that construction remains one of the drivers of the Republic’s economy. Housing construction is a key priority. In 2022, 1.176 million square metres of housing was built, which is 39 percent more than the year before.
The Head of Udmurtia thanked the President for assistance with two important facilities in Izhevsk: the main sewage pumping station and the sewage collector. These facilities help increase the urban development potential by 2 million square metres of housing and improve the quality of drinking water. Alexander Brechalov also spoke about the construction of an airport terminal whose architectural design was picked by city residents. He said the region retained its own airline, and passenger traffic is growing. He also noted that all of the Government’s programmes, including the tourist cashback programme, are working well and people have been using air travel more often.
Alexander Brechalov also asked the President to support the construction of another important facility, a tuberculosis hospital. Design specifications and estimates had to be updated after the contractors failed to fulfil their obligations and the contract was terminated. The facility is 67 percent complete.
The Head of Udmurtia also noted that the Republic is taking part in projects initiated by the United Russia party and supported by the President, in particular, major overhaul of schools and connecting more people to the gas distribution system. Nine schools were repaired in 2022, with 25 more to be repaired in the next two years.
Vladimir Putin praised the pace of the improvements.