Sergei Tsivilev, who was appointed Acting Governor of Kemerovo Region on April 1, spoke about the priority objectives for the region. They include raising wages by 30 percent, extending life expectancy by two years and increasing the GRP by 30 percent in 2018–2019, as well as increasing the share of small and medium-sized businesses from 15 percent to 21 percent. Another task is to reduce crime by at least one-third and unemployment from 7.5 percent to the average national level of 5.2 percent.
The acting governor also addressed the President with requests concerning the improvement of the airport in Kemerovo, completing a hospital in Mezhdurechensk, the elimination of TB, upgrading school buses and building a cultural centre of Siberia in Kuzbass. The cultural cluster will comprise the Kemerovo Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, a virtual cinema and a centre for gifted children.
The President promised to help with the requests and noted that the issues will be tackled, particularly, under the existing state programmes. He also recommended using projects of similar centres to be set up in Vladivostok, Sevastopol and several other cities as the basis for the cultural centre.