Radiy Khabirov took part in meeting of State Council Presidium of Russia

On April 15, the Head of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov, took part in a joint meeting of the State Council Presidium and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, chaired by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin via videoconference.

According to the press office of the Head of the Republic, the meeting agenda included increasing the availability and improving the quality of government services in education, healthcare, employment, and social protection. A package of federal and regional measures aimed at this goal was drafted as part of the National Social Initiative (NSI) that the ASI is implementing in accordance with the President’s instructions.

"The purpose of this socially significant project is to improve the social sphere, make it more customer-oriented and calibrate the processes involved, based on people's needs and demands," Vladimir Putin said. "I should start by saying that people do not care about technical, administrative, or organizational issues. It is more vital for them to get high-quality and timely help, with the professionals who provide this help not having to deal with any issues either. This is what we must accomplish. For example, we must make sure that doctors and employees of educational institutions and social services do not have to deal with excessive paperwork or red tape but instead can give their full attention to people."

The President of Russia noted that the National Social Initiative project had been successfully tested in six regions: Bashkortostan, Kaliningrad, Kemerovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, and Sakhalin regions. They examined in detail specific life situations: for example, enrolling children in a nursery or a school, getting medical help in an outpatient clinic or applying for disability, searching for a job, or getting professional development through an employment center.

"I would like to underline that the National Social Initiative is a vital tool that must become an effective instrument of attaining our social development objectives, " Vladimir Putin stated. "The most important of them is a better quality of life for the people in big cities and small towns and all over our huge country. Of course, we will be assessing each region's efforts to improve people's well-being as objectively as possible, as I mentioned on numerous occasions, based on public opinion, surveyed during large-scale sociological polls, among other things."

At the State Council meeting, Nyuta Federmesser, founder of the Vera hospice charity foundation, noted specific regional initiatives aimed at creating a barrier-free environment and comfortable conditions for people with disabilities.

For example, in Bashkortostan, together with the Presidential Grants Fund and the Russian Helicopters holding, the Ice Age Journey: A Route for Everybody project is implemented. It involves the organization of an inclusive tourist route to the territory of the Askynskaya Ice Cave. This will contribute to the socio-cultural rehabilitation of the disabled (tour therapy).

The Askynskaya Cave, located in the Gafurisky district of Bashkortostan, is a natural monument of republican significance. This is the only cave in Europe where relic ice from the Ice Age has been preserved. Specialized equipment will be installed here to increase its accessibility for people with limited mobility, adjusted to the requirements of the accessible environment. The access to the cave will be improved. It is planned to start works in June 2021.