Rustem Khamitov: "We need to intensify people’s involvement in economic life"

UFA, 3 December 2014. /Bashinform News Agency, Iliya Spiridonov/. On December 2, Rustem Khamitov held an enlarged meeting of the Coordinating Council for Entrepreneurship under the President of Bashkortostan Republic. It was attended by members of the Council, the winners of the Republican contest "Entrepreneur of the Year 2014", as well as representatives of relevant ministries, agencies and public organizations.

Rustem Khamitov said that over the past two years it had been done a lot for the development of entrepreneurship in the Republic of Bashkortostan, including the restored Republican State Committee for Entrepreneurship and Tourism, establishment of the Ombudsman for Businessmen. However, it is not enough for the set tasks.

“I've said before and now state that entrepreneurship has a special role in our society. We need a private initiative, we need to involve people in the economic life – it is something that is evidently insufficient. The figures show that the situation is not very good in this sphere”, the head of the republic said.

For example, in 2012-2013 Bashkortostan held the 60th place in Russia in number of small and medium-sized enterprises per thousand people.

For the last year the republic moved up from 39 to 11th place among the Russian regions in growth of the number of small and medium-sized enterprises, and it shares the first place with the Orenburg region in the Volga Federal District.

The share of small and medium-sized enterprises employees among all organizations in 2013 was 28.5 percent (the 21st position in Russia). The share of small businesses in gross regional product exceeds 20 percent. However, in the consolidated budget of the republic its share was only 3.6 percent.

Rustem Khamitov considers that the reason for low level of entrepreneurship development is explained by both lack of initiative among population and bureaucratic barriers.

Bashkortostan President also recalled that the Entrepreneurship Week had started in the republic and urged the meeting attendees to take active part in it.