The Governor began his report with social issues. According to him, as many as 260,000 families currently live in the Kaliningrad Region; 180,000 of them are families with children. The region is implementing a special programme to increase the birth rate – about 420 million rubles were allocated for this purpose last year. Families where the parents are either currently university students, or within three years of graduating, are entitled to a regional maternity capital benefit of 345,000 rubles after the birth of their first child. A proposal is being considered to extend the payments to all children born in the region in order to encourage births at any age. A unified social service for reproductive health has been established. Life expectancy in the region is also growing – it is now almost 74 years, which is slightly higher than the national average, as the region is investing heavily in medicine. The region is introducing the Baltic Longevity programme, which is aimed at ensuring that people not just live long, but live an active and interesting life.
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The Governor and the President also talked about education. A university campus is being built in Kaliningrad, and another campus is planned for secondary vocational education programmes. The ongoing school construction programme will end this year, with four schools already built, and eight more projects currently under construction.
Alikhanov asked the President to consider the possibility of extending the programme, not only in the Kaliningrad Region, but also in other regions where the number of children is also growing.
Vladimir Putin agreed that it was an important and much-needed programme, implemented effectively throughout the country. Therefore, its extension will be considered.