"Flagship of the Far East": Experts discussed Yakutia's development success

The world's first land-based low-capacity nuclear power plant, a unique creative cluster and the construction of the Lena Bridge, which will connect Eastern Siberia to the ports of the Sea of Okhotsk by the shortest route. Yakutia's achievements were discussed by the Lena Club experts in the studio of the Expert Institute for Social Research (EISR) at the RUSSIA EXPO platform. The focus of attention was Yakutia — the largest subject of the region.

According to the participants of the meeting, Yakutia has made very effective use of the preferences granted to the Far East on the instructions of the head of state. The population of the region has grown to one million, and life expectancy has equalized with the national average.

Over the five years of implementation of the presidential national projects Yakutia has received 176 billion rubles. A record number of facilities have been built: 75 medical outpatient clinics and paramedic-midwife stations, three central district hospitals, the first stage of the oncological dispensary was completed, and a republican cardiovascular center was built.

"We remain the leader in the Far East in terms of attracted investments: the growth of investments not related to extractive industries alone amounted to 25%. Underdeveloped transportation and energy infrastructure remains a hindrance for us, and now we are actively closing the gap in these areas with the help of major state corporations and direct support of the President", — said the head of Yakutia Aysen Nikolaev.

At least 500 kilometers of new highways are laid every year. Yakutia has become a leader in upgrading the airport infrastructure: 15 air havens of the republic are to be reconstructed by 2024.

Experts named the Russian President's decision to build the Lena Bridge as a key factor for the region's further development. The city of Yakutsk is the only large population center in the country that has no year-round communication with the "big land" due to spring and fall ice drifts. Construction of the bridge will solve the problem of accessibility of territories and exploration of the region's resources.

In order to develop Yakutia's Arctic deposits, Rosatom State Corporation is building the world's first small-capacity land-based nuclear power plant.

In addition, by Vladimir Putin's decision, a unique full-cycle movie pavilion will be built in Yakutsk, which will allow year-round filming of movies and increase the number of people employed in the creative sphere by 1.5 thousand people.

EISR experts called Yakutia the flagship of the Far East, the development of which the head of state considers an absolute policy priority for the XXI century.