On July 16, the head of the Cabinet of Ministers flew to the capital of Chechnya to discuss the future of the macroregion together with members of the government commission on socio-economic development of the North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD). Representatives of the Federation spoke about some of their achievements and plans at an exhibition held at the venue of the Caucasus Investment Forum taking place in Grozny. Mikhail Mishustin acknowledged that many initiatives are useful for improving the quality of life of people.
Over the three years of the state programme for the development of the North Caucasus Federal District, more than 800 social facilities have been put into operation. Comprehensive development plans for individual territories have been implemented. “Thanks to them, modern social, transport and engineering infrastructure has become more accessible and its creation will continue,” the Prime Minister promised. “More than 9.5 billion rubles have been allocated for this purpose in the federal budget for this year.”
But from the federal level, the development of the North Caucasus is still viewed in a more comprehensive way. Mikhail Mishustin believes that the main task of the regions is to unleash their economic potential. Three years ago, the Cabinet of Ministers proposed to focus on innovative investment projects for each constituent entity of the federal district. Currently, there are 35 such projects, according to data for the first quarter of 2024, which brought almost 330 billion rubles of extra-budgetary funds to the North Caucasus and created about 20.5 thousand new jobs. “And by the end of 2030, we will have to employ more than 87 thousand specialists,” the Prime Minister expects.
Five regions of the North Caucasus have managed to reach new positions in the national ranking of investment attractiveness, said Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. The Chechen Republic reached the seventh place. Local officials at the exhibition informed the Prime Minister about the growth of the industrial production index by more than 146%, agricultural production by almost two times, and the volume of housing construction by 3.8 times. Having learned that the birth rate in Chechnya in 2023 was 19.2% per thousand people, Mikhail Mishustin congratulated him on this figure. “It is very important that everything is developing according to all criteria. As for investments in fixed capital, the amount is amazing,” he noted.
Mishustin drew attention to all the regions of the North Caucasus without exception, tourism. When projects in this industry were presented at the exhibition, he felt a sense of pride at the premiere, admitting: “All these ideas were just plans three years ago, but today they are being seriously implemented.” In order for tourists to fully experience the famous Caucasian hospitality, it is necessary to expand the network of comfortable accommodation, the Prime Minister said. The government provides businesses with a wide range of support tools. “Within the framework of the preferential lending program in this area, 23 projects for the creation of hotels and a multifunctional complex, including ski infrastructure, will benefit, two of them have already been put into operation,” Mishustin said.
Active tourism requires a modern transport complex, the head of the Cabinet of Ministers reminded. A new airport terminal has been built in Vladikavkaz, and reconstruction of air ports in Grozny, Mineralnye Vody and Stavropol is underway. An agreement was signed at the Caucasian Investment Forum on the construction of an airport in Karachay-Cherkessia. “All this will help increase passenger traffic and make transportation more comfortable for people. I ask the heads of regions and at the federal level to closely monitor compliance with the deadlines,” Mishustin demanded.
The Ministry of Economic Development is actively interacting with the regions of the North Caucasus to provide additional incentives for the development of the territories. Following the instructions of the President, the government is preparing for a new stage in the distribution of budget loans for infrastructure. According to the head of the Ministry of Economic Development, Maxim Reshetnikov, 48 billion rubles will be available for the North Caucasus Federal District only within the limit part – half of which will be distributed per capita. The district will receive another 32 billion as part of the mechanism for canceling debts on budget loans.
