Murmansk outlines priorities for 2010
Management in Murmansk Oblast must become more efficient and responsible, and new approaches must be taken in regional resource management, regional Governor Dmitry Dmitriyenko highlighted in his new year’s speech.
-Lets face it - we often lack not only the initiatives, the constructive breakthroughs and untraditional approaches to problem solving, we also lack such prosaic things as efficiency, responsibility and the ability to do good resource management, the governor said in his meeting with the region’s top industrial leaders, municipal mayors and law enforcement chiefs on 29 December.
He stressed that the social and economic situation in Murmansk Oblast is better than the Russian average, and that social stability has been preserved. Still, a number of problems persist and these need to be addressed in 2010, the governor stressed, a press release from his administration reads.
Among the issues highlighted by the regional leader is the need for improved planning, budget spending, land use and use of subsidies in the municipalities. He underlined that the municipalities in 2010 will increasingly be “stimulated to use their own finances”, thus also indicating that the municipal entities in 2010 will have to do with less material support from the regional centre.
The governor also underlined that his government in 2010 will step up the region’s participation in federal financing programmes. Already in 2009, Murmansk Oblast strongly increased its stake in the programmes.
As a matter of fact, Mr. Dmitrienko said that his administration will not engage in any new investment project, unless a minimum of 50 percent of the financing comes either from the federal government or from private investors.
Addressing the industrial leaders, the governor said that an extensive technological modernization will have to be taken in the regional production units. –We can not do without this, he underlined. Similarly, the governor highlighted the need for more industrial processing, which will help boost regional competitiveness both domestically and internationally.
-Life in our region must be comfortable and safe, and the northerners have to feel an increase in their life standards, Dmitriyenko said. –This is our main joint objective, the governor added to the regional leaders.
