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The meeting, chaired by Igor Komarov in Nizhny Novgorod, was attended by representatives of federal ministries, heads of regions, and leaders of public organizations.
Igor Komarov noted that the first of Russia's national development goals until 2036, as defined by President Vladimir Putin, is the preservation of the population, strengthening health, improving well-being, and supporting the family.
He called the Council of Heads a significant event for all regions of the district, given the importance of the issues under discussion.
"In October of last year, at the first meeting of the Presidential Council for the Implementation of State Demographic and Family Policy, the head of state emphasized that we can only respond to demographic challenges by developing our own demographic potential. The goal of today's Council is to identify the main directions for realizing the potential of rural areas based on an analysis of key demographic trends in our district," the Presidential Envoy stressed.
He emphasized that the Volga Federal District is a leader in rural population size in Russia. One-fifth of Russia's total rural population – 8 million people – lives in the Volga Federal District. Rural areas are characterized by traditions of large families and higher intentions to have second and subsequent children compared to urban families.
The issue of realizing the demographic potential of rural areas is inextricably linked to the comprehensive development of rural territories. The Advisory Council at the Presidential Envoy to the Volga Federal District provided an opportunity for leaders of the district's regions to consolidate their practices in rural development and family support measures, as well as to discuss them directly with representatives of federal ministries and departments.
Commenting on his work at the District Council, Oleg Melnichenko noted that improving the quality of life in rural areas of Penza Oblast is a key priority.
"We need to create conditions so that young people do not want to leave for the city, so that they want to stay in their small homeland, start families, and raise children," the Governor stressed. "People need good roads, modern schools and kindergartens, jobs, hospitals, sports grounds, and cultural centers."
He recalled that over the two years of implementing a federal pilot project to increase the birth rate in the Zemetchinsky and Serdobsky districts, all socially significant facilities there were brought into good condition.
"We have renovated educational and healthcare institutions, improved parks and squares, restored roads and public utilities facilities – and the first results are already visible," Oleg Melnichenko noted. "The number of births has increased by 12%, and the number of pregnancy terminations and divorces has decreased."
"We are scaling up best practices. Since last year, we have extended a support measure to the entire region that previously operated only within the framework of the pilot project – a payment of up to one million rubles upon the birth of a third child to help families pay off mortgage loans," he added. "Additionally, since this year, we have introduced a regional family capital of 1 million rubles for the second child born after June 1, 2026. These funds are also intended to improve family housing conditions."