NOVO-OGAREVO, September 12. /TASS/. 2.9 million tons of goods were delivered to Russia's hard-to-reach regions under the Northern Supplies program, Minister for Development of the Far East and the Arctic Alexey Chekunkov said at the government's meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
"As of today, 2.9 million tons [of goods] have been delivered," he said.
Nothing threatens the terms' disruption, the minister added. "Every day we monitor fuel balance in every region, there are no critical risks anywhere," he said. "In the regions, where the light is yellow, we will make sure everything is delivered there on time, by the end of the year."
According to him, the current rate of planned delivery is 103.5%. The list of life support cargoes includes about 1,500 items, he said, noting those cargoes enjoy priority in transportation and processing at ports and railway stations.
"Presently, we plan the Northern Supplies for three years. The planned volume for the current year is 4 million tons, where 85% are life support goods, fuel and energy resources, food, medicines and 15% are goods for state and municipal needs, mainly construction materials," he said. About 130,000 textbooks have been delivered to northern settlements before the academic year beginning, the minister added.
The law on Northern Supplies was adopted on August 4, 2023 and came into force in April, 2024. Northern Supplies is the delivery of food, medicines and fuel to remote villages and regions, including in the Arctic, which remain cut off from other regions for several months in winter due to difficult climatic conditions.