Bashkir scientists shared their initiative budgeting experience with other Russian regions

UFA, 5 June 2018. /Bashinform News Agency/ translated by Tatiana Aksyutina/. The scientists of the Institute for Strategic Initiatives RB shared their experience in implementing initiative budgeting projects at the All-Russian seminar-meeting in the Stavropol Territory.

The seminar gathered 38 regions of Russia, actively developing programs to support local initiatives. Bashkortostan is marked in the analytical study by the Ministry of Finance of Russia, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank as a region with initiative budgeting development as a strategic goal.

According to the data announced by the researcher at the Center for Studying Civil Initiatives Nelly Rose, in 2017, the number of issues relevant to local residents and solved through the mechanisms of the Local Initiative Support Program RB increased by 500 and amounted to 1500. They covered landscaped courtyards, parks, renovated schools and buildings of rural clubs, libraries. The initiative groups included six thousand residents of the republic, which is one and a half times more than the previous year number.

Each project participating in the contest can receive up to 1 million rubles, which will be co-financed by the Government of Bashkortostan. It is necessary to raise 3% of the total amount for the villagers and 5% for the citizens, the institute informs.

Now Bashkortostan implements four programs of initiative budgeting. The most famous of them is the Local Initiative Support Program, which operates in towns and villages. In addition, the "Bashkir Yards" and "Our Village" pilot programs are conducted separately.

In the near future, the Government of Bashkiria plans to introduce other developments of young scientists: for example, new forms of public participation in income generating projects in rural areas, rural cooperation.

"This is a relatively new tool for our region, but positive results are already noticeable. Therefore, the Government of the republic this year increased the total funding of the program from 300 million to 400 million rubles. Besides, together with the scientists of the Academy of Sciences RB, other programs of initiative budgeting are being developed", the Deputy Minister of Finance RB Natalia Kalugina informed.