The Tula region shared best practices for supporting special military operation participants in entrepreneurship
On 16 September, at the National Centre RUSSIA during the exposition "Region-2030. Platform of the Future" and within the Tula Region Days, a meeting of the working group on integrating special military operation participants into entrepreneurship and developing mechanisms for business cooperation with them was held. The working group was established under the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.
The event was opened by Mikhail Panteleyev, First Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Government of the Tula region. He noted that the Tula region is among the leaders in Russia in the number of support measures for special military operation participants and their families. At present, more than 70 support measures are in place in the region for this category of citizens. These include both financial and non-financial measures. On the instructions of the governor of the region, Dmitry Milyaev, the list is constantly updated and expanded based on requests and real needs.
One of the key tasks is helping returning servicemen adapt to peaceful life, ensuring their integration and employment. On the initiative of the governor, the regional programme "Hero 71" is being implemented. Two modules are aimed at supporting entrepreneurship and self-employment. In addition to training modules, consultations and preferential tax benefits, the programmes also offer preferential financial products through the "My Business" Centre. For example, a loan of up to 5 million roubles is available at a reduced rate of 9% (instead of 12% under the Standard programme).
"I am confident that through joint efforts and a professional approach we will be able to develop effective solutions and create conditions for the successful integration of special military operation participants into entrepreneurship," stressed Mikhail Panteleyev.
At the end of last year, the "My Business" Centre developed a training programme "Business Workshop. Time of Heroes" specifically for special military operation participants and their families. Thirteen participants received training certificates. Six of them opened their own businesses, and one founded an autonomous non-profit organisation. The second intake of the programme started on 15 September, with 11 participants and their family members currently undergoing training.
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"We carefully study the experience of other regions in supporting special military operation participants and adopt the best practices. I am confident that such exchanges help us improve regional programmes and create the most effective support mechanisms for our heroic citizens and their families," noted Alexander Ilyinsky.
"On the initiative of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, a working group on integrating special military operation participants into entrepreneurship has been created to discuss strategic and operational issues of supporting our heroes returning to peaceful life and choosing this path. Most regions are already implementing various measures to inform, train and support veterans, and the task of the working group is to help regions implement such measures as widely as possible.
In addition, following the instructions of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Mishustin, the Ministry of Economic Development is allocating an additional 1 billion roubles in federal funding to the 'My Business' centres. This will enable the regions to implement most of the best practices for supporting budding entrepreneurs among special military operation participants already this year," said Natalia Shamanskaya, Deputy Director of the Department for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Entrepreneurship and Tax Incentives of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.
At the meeting, special military operation participants Alexei Tolkalin and Nikolai Voskoboynikov spoke about the businesses they launched after returning from the front.
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