Speaker Natalya Kochanova is presiding at a meeting of the Council of the Republic's expert panel in Minsk on 2 November, BelTA has learned.

“Today we are considering an important issue related to road transportation of passengers. It is an issue that concerns many residents of our country, businesses. We have invited specialists from the industry, MPs and heads of transport companies to participate in the council meeting. We will listen to everybody in order to take an absolutely correct decision,” said Natalya Kochanova.

According to Yekaterina Rechits, the member of the expert panel at the Council of the Republic, Head of Information and Analytical Department of the Secretariat of the Upper Chamber of the Parliament, the expert panel was set up in June 2021. “It was set up following the instruction of the head of state to review the viability of draft legislation on the most important issues of the country's development. The expert panel consists of the most authoritative scientists and practitioners from different fields: lawmaking, state administration, local self-government, industry, agriculture, energy, transport, communications, environmental protection. Experts are, too, invited to participate in the meetings of the expert panel,” she said.

According to the head of the department, the expert panel receives draft legislative acts from the head of state, the President Administration, the Council of Ministers and from the Council of the Republic. “As our experience has shown, some draft legislative acts lack integrity and consistency, proper forecasting of their impact. Therefore, in order to exclude negative economic, social and other ramifications at the stage of law enforcement, we submit corresponding findings to the head of state,” Yekaterina Rechits noted. "Today it is obvious that the expert panel is an effective tool for improving the quality of draft legislation and for assessing the impact of law-making on the development of our country."

“The expert panel is one of the tools enabling us to take a comprehensive look at draft legislation,” Transport and Communications Minister Aleksei Avramenko. “This is another platform where we can discuss at length the innovations that are suggested to the regulatory framework of the Republic of Belarus on certain issues. Getting familiar more closely with the legislative innovations is useful, I think, both for lawmakers and for the expert community.”

Source: BelTA

The information and prophylactic action "COVID-patrol" started in all regional centers of Belarus. The "COVID Patrol" includes volunteers of the "Kind Heart" organization aged 18 and older.

Children in groups of 2 to 4 people, equipped with the necessary protective equipment and special badges, conduct information and educational work on vaccination issues. Volunteers also remind about the need to observe the mask regime and distancing.

Online training of volunteers from the COVID Patrol also took place. Together with interested volunteers, training of volunteers was conducted to further conduct a wide information campaign on the topic of vaccination, compliance with basic rules of personal hygiene and respiratory etiquette.

In addition, Belarusian Republican Youth Union resumed the work of hot lines in its territorial structures, where you can get both information support and leave a request for assistance in the delivery of food and medicines.

Source: Minsk-region.gov.by

The period of the 2000 series banknotes exchange comes to an end on 31 December 2021, BelTA learned from the information and media liaison department at the National Bank of Belarus.

As from 1 January 2022, the banknotes of the denominations 100, 500, 1 000, 5 000, 10 000, 20 000, 50 000, 100 000, 200 000 Belarusian ruble of the 2000 series will be deemed invalid (will lose the force of the legal tender).

These denominations can be exchanged for the banknotes and coins of the 2009 series in the cash offices of the National Bank without restrictions and charges. The exchange rate is 10 000 Belarusian ruble of the 2000 series to 1 Belarusian ruble in the banknotes of the 2009 series.

The cash offices of the National Bank are located at the following address: Minsk, 6 Tolstogo street. Working schedule: 9:00 – 16:00, Friday –9:00 – 15:00. Saturday and Sunday – days off.

In line with Decree No. 450 “Concerning the redenomination of the official currency of the Republic of Belarus” of 4 November 2015, the Belarusian ruble was redenominated on 1 July 2016. Seven denominations of new banknotes of the 2009 series were put into circulation - Br5, Br10, Br20, Br50, Br100, Br200 and Br500 and eight denominations of coins - 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 kopecks, as well as Br1 and Br2.

Source: БелТА

As of 1 October 2021 Belarus' external public debt totaled $18.2 billion, $0.3 billion or 1.8% down since the beginning of the year (taking into account differences in currency exchange rates), BelTA learned from the Belarusian Finance Ministry.

In January-September 2021 the Belarusian government borrowed the equivalent of $1,035.9 million, including $836 million from the Russian government, $155.3 million from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), $20 million from the OPEC International Development Fund, $14.9 million from the Export-Import Bank of China, and $9.7 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB).

In January-September 2021 Belarus spent $1,381.3 million to repay the external public debt, including $608.8 million to the Russian government and Russian banks, $406.9 million to Chinese banks, $276.6 million to the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development (EFSD), $83.4 million to the IBRD, $4.9 million to the EBRD and the NIB, and $0.7 million to the U.S. Commodity Credit Corporation.

As of 1 October 2021 Belarus' public debt totaled Br57.1 billion, Br0.7 billion or 1.3% down since the beginning of the year.

The internal public debt amounted to Br11.3 billion as of 1 October. Taking into account differences in currency exchange rates, the internal public debt went up by Br1.4 billion or 14.4% since the beginning of the year.

In January-September 2021 the Belarusian government sold $817.5 million and Br191 million worth of domestic government bonds nominated in foreign and national currencies to individuals and corporations and redeemed $132 million and Br92.2 million worth of government bonds nominated in foreign and national currencies from corporations and individuals.

Source: БелТА

There are plans to commission six energy sources powered by local fuel and energy resources with the total output capacity of 21.5MW in Minsk Oblast in 2022, representatives of the Minsk Oblast administration told BelTA.

An extensive program has been put together on commissioning various energy sources powered by local fuel and energy resources in Minsk Oblast in the next few years. As many as 16 energy sources of the kind with the output capacity of 105.5MW will be commissioned in 2022-2025. It will increase the share of locally available fuel and energy resources in the total consumption of furnace fuel from 33% to 44%. In particular, six energy sources powered by local fuel and energy resources with the total output capacity of 21.5MW will be built in Minsk Oblast in 2022. They will be used to heat homes and social facilities.

Four energy sources powered by local fuel and energy resources with the total output capacity of 50MW have been commissioned in Minsk Oblast this year. Those are boiler houses in the towns of Krupki and Slutsk, the village of Borovlyany, Minsk District, and the village of Vorontsy, Myadel District. The boiler house in Vorontsy will allow increasing the usage of local fuel and energy resources by 14,172 tonnes of reference fuel and reducing natural gas consumption by 4.49 million m3 per annum.

As of 1 January 2021 Minsk Oblast utility enterprises operated 891 boiler houses, including 564 powered by local fuel and energy resources, 250 powered by natural gas, two using liquid fuel, three powered by electricity, and 72 boiler houses relying on several kinds of fuel and energy resources. Their total output capacity makes 2,322.66 Gcal/h.

Source: Minsk-region.gov.by