Nizhny Novgorod Oblast's economic growth rate is higher than the national average, according to the Acting Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Gleb Nikitin, who had a meeting with Vladimir Putin. According to him, the annual growth rate of 3 percent will be achieved primarily by means of industrial development and higher labor productivity. Several World Cup matches hosted by the region this summer also had a positive effect.
Andrei Grigoriev reports on the changes taking place in Nizhny Novgorod.
Nizhny Novgorod's river waterfront at the confluence of the Volga and Oka Rivers took on a new look. For a decade, it was hiding behind a several-miles-long fence. Even the domes of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral look brighter now. A new metro station was built here for the first time in six years. It was named Strelka. New roads have been built, and the airports and train stations have been renovated. All thanks to the new Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, which hosted several World Cup games. As expected, it immediately sparked the development of other infrastructure as well.
Vladimir Putin: "You've been performing the duties of an acting governor for almost a year now. How do you feel about it? Where do you think you succeeded this year? Which goals do you think you achieved?"
Gleb Nikitin, Acting Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast: "All the important goals that I set for myself have been achieved on schedule. The emphasis was on holding a successful World Cup. It required a lot of work, which was done. I think we did pretty well".
A large flow of FIFA fans was followed by an increased influx of tourists, both from Russia and abroad. Their number is now almost twice as high as it was before. Nizhny Novgorod Oblast also boasts a lot of other landmarks. The ancient Sarov Monastery and Diveyevo Convent are two great examples.
Gleb Nikitin: "We'd like to create a tourism cluster in the region, including the development of a transportation and logistics network, creating a tourist distribution center in Arzamas and a multimodal train and bus route for transporting tourists from Arzamas to Diveyevo".
This will require coordination with the federal government. However, all economic figures of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast indicate stable growth even without aid from the government. These include salaries, labor productivity, and investments.
Vladimir Putin: "You're showing significant growth within the manufacturing industry".
Gleb Nikitin: "Yes, and I'm very happy about it. The housing sector grew by 4.6 percent, which is higher than the national average rate of 103.8 percent. We plan to build 14.5 million square feet of housing by the end of the year".
Nizhny Novgorod is actively working on resolving the problem of hoodwinked investors. According to a new plan, those who finish the construction of abandoned buildings will receive land for other projects from the local government. As a result, those who have been waiting for decades are finally able to move into a new apartment. Look, we'll put a washing machine in here. Many hospitals also require renovation. But for now, the demand for medical services in rural areas is being met by so-called "health trains." Such trains carry medical workers who see patients at each station. This service has become so popular that the number of such "field hospitals" is expected to grow in the near future.
Andrei Grigoriev, Maria Samsonova, and Yulia Brilyova, Vesti.
