KRASNOYARSK, July 20. /TASS/. Most part of the Krasnoyarsk Region’s Evenk District joins the Russian Arctic zone. This new status will boost the local economy, and the district will attract more tourists and will support traditional crafts, the region’s officials and businesses told TASS.
On July 14, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed a package of bills, drafted by the Ministry for Development of the Far East and Arctic, which offers incentives for investors in new projects in the Arctic. The laws specify finally the Arctic zone’s territories, which now, the Academy of Sciences said, unite the territories which answer the Arctic status. The newly included territories include villages Tura, Nidym, Uchami, Tutonchany, Yessey, Chirinda, Ekonda, Kislokan, Yukta in the Evenk District and the Surinda village - the center of deer breeding in the Evenk District.
"This part of the Evenk District is north from the Arctic Circle, it is quite far away from major industrial centers and markets. <…> The models of offering incentives for development of the Arctic zone, as far as the Evenk District is concerned, will boost this severe territory, will attract businesses to promising projects - not only in mining raw materials. Those are deep processing of wood, ecology food products, tourism, and others," the Krasnoyarsk Region’s Governor Alexander Uss told TASS.
Business and investments
According to the documents, posted on the official legal information portal, any business registered in the Arctic and planning a new investment project, with investments of at least 1 million rubles ($14,000), will receive the status of a resident, which would mean an access to tax and non-tax preferences.
"Surely, the incentives listed in the documents will boost businesses in the Evenk District, too," a coordinator of the Business Russia Organization in the Siberian Federal District Viktor Zubarev told TASS.
The district’s expert, who had presented reasons to include the Evenk villages into the Arctic zone, Ivan Ivanov stressed investments may come also to the villages, which do not have industries other than venison or fur processing. "I hope, we shall see more businesses will prefer working here. Those businesses will consequently attract services and offer new jobs. <…> This is very good for the territory, which in fact does not have any production," he said.
Vice President of the Association of the North, Siberia and Far East’s low-numbered indigenous peoples Artur Gayulsky hopes for development of transport infrastructures. Most likely, the winter road on ice leading to Khatanga would continue further to the north - to Taimyr. Thus, it would be much easier and cheaper to deliver cargo there. Besides, this route could be used to deliver fish and venison to Krasnoyarsk.
Tourism and traditions
The laws offer measures to develop and preserve traditional lifestyles of the low-numbered indigenous peoples, living in the Arctic. Experts told TASS: development of the Evenk District is not only development of its natural resources, but rather caring for the Arctic’s future. A local legislator, Valery Vengo, says the new status will mean higher social and economic levels of life.
"It is most important to preserve the fragile ecology balance and traditional lifestyles of the indigenous peoples," Zubarev stressed.
Governor Uss pointed to a clear priority to improve living standards in the North. Ethnic and model villages have been organized in the Evenk District. One of them is Surinda.
"An ethnic village is a long-term investment project. It is not just a cultural and tourist attraction. It is a complex of social and economic activities," he said.
The local authorities do not doubt the district will have a promising tourist program, and the Arctic status will help businesses to attract investments in the sector. The district has many attractions. For example, the Surinda village - it is a center of the Evenks’ deer breeding in the taiga.
"The Ilimpiya area in fact is at the foot of the Putorana Plateau, and here on Lake Vivi, is Russia’s geographical center, here begins the diamond route - at the beginning of the Vilyui River, on which in neighboring Yakutia had begun production of diamonds," Ivanov said. "Tourism will boost development of related services."
Communication and labor force
According to the governor, one of the priorities is to build by 2025 a vast telecommunication infrastructure and a common information space in the Arctic. "Thus, we shall develop telemedicine, to which in this huge region we pay special attention. Besides, people living in the North would have an easy access to state and municipal e-services, and to online classes," the governor added. "We hope for federal incentives for businesses in cell communication and mobile access to the Internet, which work at the Arctic villages."
Tura, Evenk’s administrative center, will become an educational center to train specialists for the Arctic. In September 2020, the newly organized Institute of North and Arctic will begin the first academic year. The university’s departments will be located in northern settlements, including in Evenk’s center - Tura.