Mukhametshin: “We need public control over the expenditure of funds for national projects”

National projects will improve the quality of life

A year has passed since the start of national projects. Last year, 27,4 billion rubles were allocated for their implementation, including 49 regional projects, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Nigmatullin said. In the republic, the money was directed to 342 social infrastructure facilities: schools and kindergartens were built and repaired, mobile medical centres were purchased, first aid centres were opened, and treatment facilities were reconstructed.

“Much work to ensure natural growth of the population, life expectancy and increase the level of the average monthly salary awaits us this year. We are participating in 11 projects. We will get 25,7 billion rubles for the construction of 25 kindergartens, 9 schools, first aid centres, the Centre for Children's Oncology, Hematology and Surgery, ice palaces, gyms, swimming pools, updating the material and technical base of 42 schools, creating three model libraries, five rural clubs," Nigmatullin said.

The first deputy prime minister addressed the heads of municipalities with the words that the implementation of national projects does not end with the construction of any objects. “National projects are aimed at improving the quality of life of the population. There are key integral indicators, and they need to be improved. We are building treatment plants within the framework of the Volga health improvement programme, but the integral indicator is not the launch of treatment plants but the improvement of water quality in the Volga River. The programme adopted is not a panacea. And maybe you would say that you need something else to achieve some indicator. We are ready for discussion. We need to work carefully in this direction.”

Nigmatullin reminded that each government agency has departmental project offices, situation centres, and all built objects should work with the maximum load. In reality, this is not always the case. Therefore it is necessary to develop national projects in a comprehensive manner: “The feedback mechanism with the population is important, and the heads of municipalities need to be actively involved in this work.”

What figure should the municipality aim for

Tatyana Larionova, the chairperson of the commission of the United Russia regional political council and deputy speaker of the Tatarstan State Council, emphasized that it is necessary to discuss not only the results of last year:

“We need to assess how useful the forms of work applied last year are; what needs to be done to the established formats; how to involve the population in the implementation of national projects; how to improve the efficiency of joint work of the project office established in the republic and the commissions, republican ones, in districts and cities.

In 2019, two kindergartens were built in the Nizhnekamsk district, a platform for Ready for Labour and Defence targets was equipped, as well as six classrooms in two rural schools, two schools for children with disabilities, medical institutions, and music schools. The largest investments were made in the reconstruction of roads, reported Elvira Dolotkazina, the chairperson of the commission in Nizhnekamsk district, deputy head of the district and mayor of Nizhnekamsk. But in terms of medical care, finances are clearly not enough:

“This year it is planned to reclaim the landfill of rubber products. The construction of kindergartens and repair of two more sections of the road in Nizhnekamsk. We will not get anything from the federal budget for the national project Healthcare, despite the fact that Nizhnekamsk residents have special requirements for medical care. People are waiting for real results. We hope for real funds," Dolotkazina said.

The official noted that the district did not fully understand the integral indicators. “We understand better when it comes not to percentages, but to units. Key indicators are given in relation to the entire republic, but we want to understand what specific figure the municipality should strive for.”

To attract residents of Nizhnekamsk to national projects, they held a meeting of the residents with deputies and members of the public in the district. To increase the birth rate, people were advised to hold joint events in groups where there are many men, including single ones, and unmarried women, such as state female employees. Besides, it was proposed to hold sports competitions between neighbourhood teams. By 2024, the district should reach an indicator of 70% in the medical examination of the population. Now only 57,000, or 27%, out of 214,000 Nizhnekamsk residents undergo medical examination.

The district needs a hospital

Last year, a geriatric office was opened in the Nurlat district as part of the national project, as well a club and kindergarten were built. They took the initiative and launched the project 'Leaders of Nurlat', which involves schoolchildren and students.

“The staffing problem remains. Among the causes of death from stroke are the diseases of the circulatory system, which are aggravated by a considerable time of delivery of patients to Chistopol. It is necessary to build a hospital complex of the Central Republican Hospital in order to provide medical care on time," said Ilyas Akhmetzyanov, the chairman of the commission in Nurlat district, deputy chairman of the Council of Nurlat District, deputy head.

During public hearings in the district, it was found out that people need sports facilities, gyms, and playgrounds where they could teach children professions that are in demand in the village. “The renovated functional areas stand out in sharp contrast to the general background of schools. I would like to see the implementation of projects carried out in conjunction with the overhaul of schools. It is necessary to equip rural clubs with furniture, equipment, and the Internet. To transfer clubs and electives from school to clubs. It would be effective to keep the objects on the balance of the settlement, which will save resources. More than 50% of regional roads require urgent major repairs, we ask you to increase the number of objects in the district under the national project 'Safe and High-quality Roads'," Akhmetzyanov said.

Not a word about digitalisation

Commenting on the speeches, the head of the ministry of finance of the Republic of Tatarstan, Ayrat Khairullin, noted that he “has not heard a single word from the advanced regions about digitalization”:

“I attribute this to our flaw. Then what is the situation in the rest of Tatarstan?! First-aid stations, authorities, hospitals, schools, and clinics must be connected to the Internet. By 2024, the goal is the following: 70% of all relations between the population and the state should be carried out using the contactless method, in digital form. It is necessary to improve the quality of life in individual territories and to make this clear to every citizen of the republic.

At the end of the meeting, Tatyana Larionova suggested that deputies should be assigned specific targets. She expressed the wish that all members of the commission would be permanent participants in meetings and discussions on national projects.

High fines for the failure of the plan

Deputy of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan, Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions Yelena Kuzmicheva said that the main problem for business leaders remains the calculation of indicators for the national project 'Growth of labour productivity and employment support' — they are carried out at the federal level. Regions do not have access to calculations, and this makes it difficult to control indicators. “For withdrawing from the national project, a fine of 4,5 million rubles is provided for participating enterprises, and for failing to submit reports — 200,000 rubles, which raises concerns," Kuzmicheva said.

In response, the chairman of the Tatarstan State Council, Farid Mukhametshin, suggested that representatives of trade unions should join the commission of the regional political council within the framework of the agreement on cooperation between the Tatarstan Federation of Trade Unions and United Russia.

“Don't miss the time”

“It is necessary to solve the problem [of demography] systematically in other areas, including healthcare," the speaker of the republican parliament commented on the proposal of the representative of the Nizhnekamsk district commented in conclusion.

He noted that from 2020 to 2024, it is planned to allocate 69 billion rubles for national projects in the republic, 43,7 billion rubles of which are federal money.

“It is necessary to establish a clear national control over this expenditure of funds. The goal is not to deceive our residents, and this depends on how systematically we approach the implementation of national projects. Time is running out, we can't miss it," Mukhametshin concluded.

Tatyana Larionova said that a document will be developed soon with the main tasks for the year for the implementation of national projects. After the meeting, an award ceremony was held for Tatarstan citizens who actively participate in the implementation of federal and national programmes. Among them, there was a large family, Renata and Aygul Shaykhadarovs, from Kamsko-Ustyinsky District. Over nine years, the Shaykhaidarovs, along with other activists, have planted thousands of seedlings on almost 100 hectares of forest land.