At a meeting of the Center for Conservative Policy Baikal, priorities and opportunities for developing the Baikal region within Russias eastern development strategy were discussed. Participants spoke about Irkutsk Regions competitive advantages, its problems, and the strategys key goals, from higher housing provision and GRP to creating advanced development zones. The document also drew criticism, experts say it does not sufficiently address agriculture, forestry, and some other important development areas.
The priorities and development opportunities of the Baikal region within the framework of the development strategy for eastern Russia were discussed yesterday at a meeting of the “Center for Conservative Policy — Baikal.”As the chairman of the coordinating council of “CSCP-Baikal,” Sergei Ten, said, special attention is being paid to the development of eastern Russia at the federal level. A number of policy documents have been adopted, including: the federal target program for the economic and social development of the Far East and Transbaikalia, the strategy for the economic development of Siberia, the social and economic development program of the Irkutsk Region, etc.
Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Labor, Science and Higher Education of the Irkutsk Region Alexander Anchugin said that our region has a number of competitive advantages and problems. The problems identified include: low tax returns, the outflow of qualified personnel, a low standard of living for the population, etc.
The Strategy defines indicators for assessing the implementation of strategic tasks. Housing provision should reach 22 sq. m per resident of the Angara region. Gross regional product per capita should increase by 1.7 times compared with the 2008 level. Four zones of advanced development have also been identified: a food security belt (six districts of the Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug); the development of Angarsk, Irkutsk, and Shelekhov; a special economic zone of tourist and recreational type; and the development of the BAM and adjacent territories. Alexander Anchugin noted that within the framework of the federal strategy through 2025, the Irkutsk Region could host a management center, an engineering education center, and a transport and logistics center for the development of mineral resources.
Those present voiced a number of comments on the document. Yuri Faleychik, chairman of the committee on legislation on natural resource use, ecology, and agriculture of the Legislative Assembly, said that the document pays insufficient attention to agriculture and its modernization. In addition, it is necessary to provide for the development of forestry, include a special economic zone of the technology-implementation type, etc. State Duma deputy Sergei Kolesnikov noted that the Irkutsk Region is behind schedule with the document and therefore has “dropped out” of most federal programs.