A fusion of wisdom and experience: a meeting of the Minsk Region Council of Elders was held in the Pukhovichi District.

Photo by the press service of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee, December 23, Pukhovichi District. On December 23, a visiting meeting of the Minsk Region Council of Elders was held in the Pukhovichi District to coincide with the launch of the national charity campaign "From the Heart," BelTA reports.

The event began in the agro-town of Dukora, where representatives of the Council of Elders, comprised of 25 distinguished residents of the central region who made a special contribution to the development of the Minsk Region and the country as a whole, laid flowers at a monument to those who died during the Great Patriotic War.

While learning about the development of social infrastructure in the Pukhovichi District, the visiting meeting participants visited the urban settlement of Druzhny. Here, as part of the Minsk Region investment program, a new outpatient clinic building, a socially significant facility, was commissioned this year. This new outpatient clinic building not only expanded the number of hospital beds but also provided additional technical capacity for medical research.
According to Vyacheslav Urban, chief physician of the Maryinogorsk Central District Hospital, Druzhny has a population of nearly 10,000, including 2,500 children . The clinic's catchment area encompasses nearly 30,000 people from the village itself and surrounding communities. Therefore, the decision was made to develop the medical infrastructure here. Construction began in 2023, and the opening took place in October 2025. The project cost 33.5 million Belarusian rubles, of which 4.5 million Belarusian rubles was allocated for the acquisition of new equipment for X-ray diagnostics, endoscopy, ultrasound, and other departments, as well as a modern laboratory.

The opening of a unique enterprise in the Pukhovichi District in 2022, which launched the development of a new biotechnology industry for Belarus, BNBC CJSC, gave a significant boost to the regional and national economy. This enterprise, which has established deep grain processing, produces not only various types of compound feed for various animal and fish groups, premixes, but also three types of amino acids. This has enabled the creation of export-oriented products in demand worldwide, as well as the transition from imports. CEOSergey Lozhechnik, head of the enterprise, noted that BNBC JSC employs over 1,800 people, approximately half of whom are residents of the Pukhovichi District. Fourteen buses are available to transport workers. Speaking with representatives of the Council of Elders, Chairman of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee Alexey Kushnarenko emphasized that this meeting was symbolically timed to coincide with the launch of the republican campaign "From the Heart" and highlighted the Minsk Region's accomplishments for the past year. This includes a record grain yield of 50 centners per hectare, a first-ever 35 centners of feed units per head of cattle stored for the winter, a record-breaking 2 million tonnes of sugar beet, and a 7,000 tonne milk yield per cow.
"By the end of the year, we will have commissioned approximately 1.3 million square metres of housing, becoming the absolute leader in the country. We also implemented 29 projects this year as part of the 'One District - One Project' initiative. We were able to implement them in every district of the central region where such growth points emerged. This work will continue in the next five-year period as part of the 'Regional Initiative' program," said Alexey Kushnarenko.
Representatives of the Council of Elders shared their impressions of what they had seen and also expressed their vision for solving specific problems in both regional development and in individual sectors, drawing on their own experience.

"I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your work for the benefit of our region and the country. "Communicating with you recharges me with the energy of love for my homeland, people, and work. I wish you good health, and may all your plans and hopes come true. I see how you empathize with all the processes taking place in the Minsk region, and everyone who works for its benefit feels your support," noted Alexey Kushnarenko, congratulating the elders on the upcoming holidays.

Furthermore, Vladimir Drazhin was elected Chairman of the Council of Elders of the Minsk region. "We are very pleased that the central region made a special contribution to the development of the Belarusian economy this year. We are pleased that all sectors performed their work at a high level, and the Council of Elders would like to congratulate all participants on this achievement. It is very important to us that further steps in the development of the economy and socio-political life of the Minsk region are also effective. The Council of Elders also completed its work in 2025, and this was primarily related to the work collectives who addressed the most important economic issues. Our team includes representatives from all areas of public administration and social development, all with extensive experience. It's important that our work provided an opportunity to share the experience and skills acquired during our service to our country," said Vladimir Drazhin.
Photo: Minsk Regional Executive Committee Press Service