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Published: Wednesday, 02 June 2021 15:09

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Havana, June 2 - The Council of Ministers approved in its most recent session the improvement of the actors of the Cuban economy, which includes the socialist state enterprise; non-agricultural cooperatives; to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and self-employment, all summoned to promote, each one from their own sphere, the development of the nation.

With this decision we are approving how to order the actors that intervene in our economic scenario, which goes beyond the simple recognition of any of them, considered the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.

As an essential principle to carry out this improvement, the member of the Political Bureau and Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, assured, when presenting the subject, that it is ratified that the state company is the main subject of the national economy and, as such, it has to perform.

Among other principles, he ratified that the expansion of activities of non-state forms of management does not lead to a privatization process, since there are limits that cannot be exceeded. "Recognizing, diversifying and strengthening the management of economic actors" is another of the guidelines drawn to advance in the urgent improvement, from which "each economic actor adjusts to what it really should be."

Referring in particular to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, he explained that they will be established in the state and private sectors, and for both similar conditions will be established in management. In the case of private companies, he explained, to define what they will be able to do, the list of negative activities already approved for self-employment is taken as a starting point. Initially, they will not engage in some professional activities, including those that can be carried out by self-employed persons, such as computer equipment programmer, bookkeeper, translators and interpreters, veterinarians for affectionate or domestic animals, designers and certain types of consultancies.

The Prime Minister insisted on the importance of achieving sustained progress in actions, which must be developed gradually to avoid setbacks. "We need to move forward with intelligence, to consolidate each step we take and be able to achieve sustainability." As part of this topic, the main results obtained from the experiment of non-agricultural cooperatives, which began in March 2012. Between 2012 and 2014, the constitution of 498 cooperatives of this type was authorized.

The Prime Minister explained that the results of the controls carried out during the experimental stage concluded that, despite the deficiencies, the viability of the approved policy could be verified. Taking this reality into account, it was decided to terminate the experiment and gradually extend the creation of non-agricultural cooperatives to all sectors in which they have already been approved, except construction.

As specified, as part of the measures designed, the regulations for the improvement of all economic actors will be issued at the same time.

Based on this decision of the Council of Ministers, work will begin on the corresponding legal regulations for their implementation. As this activity progresses, updated information will be offered to our people.

President Díaz-Canel stressed that what was approved constitutes an improvement action, a broad and comprehensive process that provides continuity and allows monitoring of the Guidelines endorsed by the 6th. and the 7th. Congresses of the Communist Party of Cuba and ratified in the 8th.

The actions defined, he valued, will allow an adequate dimension of the economic actors in the country, and above all a resizing of the state business sector. Based on what is approved, we will be in better conditions - he said - to advance in certain aspects such as discharging the State from activities that are not fundamental to economic performance, and making better use of the workforce, especially the highly qualified.

"We need the state sector to be more proactive, to be more efficient, to shake off a bit of inertia, to be more innovative," he emphasized. Associated with this, he also commented on the importance of consolidating an adequate relationship between the state sector and the non-state sector, which would allow greater use of human potential, productive capacities, experience and innovation.

If we do this process well - he valued - we can achieve integration between both sectors, boost the economy and give more dynamism to the development of the country. The process is going to be gradual, but making it gradual does not mean that we will delay to start implementing it.

From vital he considered reaching the municipality with these actions, in such a way that the different forms of management are involved in territorial development strategies and contribute to the economic growth of the localities, where projects can generate employment, produce, offer services.

Let us definitely break the obstacles that still prevent our economic actors from developing with agility, with facilities to contribute to development, he emphasized.

“Here everything that is inefficient, that which is corrupt and illegal; everything that has a blocking dynamic, and everything that is not innovative and proactive, is harmful, be it state or non-state”.

THE ECONOMY OF THE FUTURE AND THE PRESENT

Anticipating, designing and planning are actions that set guidelines in the premises that are followed in the country to prepare the Plan of the Economy and the State Budget for the year 2022, largely conditioned by the control that is achieved over the caused pandemic. by COVID-19.

Designed in a scenario of monetary ordering, the Plan of the Economy for next year, said Leticia Morales González, First Deputy Minister of Economy and Planning, part of the concept of centralized planning. This implies consciously conducting the process of economic and social development of the country, promoting the incorporation of all forms of ownership and management.

The design foresees, fundamentally, to counteract the effects of economic restrictions; the search for a greater interaction of all economic actors; increased efficiency, effectiveness, productivity and innovation; as well as respect and continue working according to the National Development Plan 2030.

While recognizing the complexity of projecting ourselves in such difficult moments, the Prime Minister insisted on the urgency of finding solutions to our problems on our own. "We have to look good, to look for solutions, to identify potential ... and we have to be able to reflect all of this in that Plan," he emphasized.

The challenge is to transfer to the 2022 Plan, objectively and without pessimism, the scenario we envision. The purpose cannot be to reflect what we have done, and see how we do a little more; no, the purpose is to see what we have not done yet and the capacities we have to do more, he reflected.

Also as part of the agenda of the meeting of the highest government body, the First Deputy Minister of Economy and Planning reported on the behavior of the economy at the end of April, a period that ratified the need to continue looking for reserves and produce more.

Products such as rice, eggs and corn in grain, he said, reached an over-compliance in production, contrary to what happened with viands, beans, the delivery of fresh milk to the industry and pork.

In the case of the sugar harvest, he pointed out that there is a breach in its productive and efficiency indicators that are materialized in an accumulated backwardness of the cane milling.

Related to employment, he highlighted that there were 166,966 people who had come to look for work. Of the positions occupied, he specified, 55,442 were grouped in the state sector and 50,183 in the non-state sector.

Another issue evaluated by the members of the Council of Ministers was the progress made in the implementation of the National Plan for Economic and Social Development until 2030, the governing document of the National Planning System, which guides the conduct of development in order to resolve structural imbalances. of the economy with a strategic vision and in close coordination with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

ASSIST THE VULNERABLE WHEN THEY REQUIRE IT

Later in the meeting, it was the responsibility of the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feito Cabrera, to present the policy proposals for strengthening prevention and social work activity in the neighborhoods, and for the care of individuals, families- households, as well as groups or communities in situations of social vulnerability.

As an essential aspect, the owner commented on the support offered to the necessary transformation of the work of social prevention from the community level, as the most important link. Based on this policy, the founding principles of social work based on the Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz's conceptions of preventing, attending and transforming are rescued, thus completing the scope of action, currently structured at the national, provincial and national levels. municipal.

He explained that, taking into account the accumulated experience, the need to transform the work currently carried out by social workers has been identified and to rescue the original conception of social prevention activity, in particular attention to adolescents and specific follow-up to work community.

Referring to the second document, he explained that its objective is to raise the quality of social services to attend to situations of social vulnerability, improve, diversify and expand the protection of Social Assistance and its services, recognizing the participation of various forms of management.

Regarding both policies, which were approved by the Council of Ministers, the Deputy Prime Minister, Inés María Chapman Waugh, highlighted that they constitute fundamental tools to be able to carry out analyzes in the territories and adopt the necessary measures to direct the programs that in each place are carried out.

This work in the community, today more than ever, is essential, the Prime Minister later stressed. Hence his insistence on accompanying the actions with the projection of social research and coherent work in the communities.

EFFECTS OF THE DROUGHT IN CUBA

As part of the agenda of the day, the president of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, Antonio Rodríguez Rodríguez, updated on the situation of the drought in the country, where from December 2020 to April 2021 it has only rained the 54% of what was planned.

The accumulated provincial minors in the last four months occurred in Havana, Ciego de Ávila and Sancti Spíritus, all with values ​​below 30%. Additionally, in Mayabeque, Cienfuegos, Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, Matanzas and Villa Clara, between 30% and 50% were registered.

These low levels of rainfall, he pointed out, have produced an increase in the areas affected by the meteorological drought. At the end of November 2020, 13% of the country's municipalities suffered from these effects of the weather, and at the end of March 2021 the figure was 45%.

Across the country, 552,852 people are affected by the effects of the drought. Havana, Artemisa, Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey and Guantánamo account for 81% of the total.

In order to alleviate this situation to the population, actions are carried out in conductors and networks, interconnections of systems, increase of pumping stations, drilling of wells, among others that have allowed to improve the service to more than 780,260 inhabitants, mainly in the provinces of Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Las Tunas and Guantánamo, Camagüey and Artemisa.

He recalled how in the period 2003-2005 the intense drought affected some two million people in the country, a figure that was reduced between 2020 and 2021 to about 500,000, which has been possible from the investments that have been made in the hydraulic sector.

GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT IN SANCTI SPIRITUS

As the last point on the agenda and in compliance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, the governor of Sancti Spíritus, Teresita Romero Rodríguez, gave an account of her government management in that province, the first to carry out this exercise before the Minister council.

There are multiple actions that have been implemented there to improve the quality of life of the population in the midst of the complex scenario that the nation is experiencing, conditioned by the intensification of the unjust economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States Government on Cuba. the effects of three weather events, and the efforts required to confront the epidemic caused by COVID-19.

Among the main work priorities during 2020 and 2021, the Governor defined the actions to support the food program in the territory. Other programs such as health and education have also been prioritized, while progress was made in the computerization of society and compliance with the housing policy.

To continue advancing in government management, there are several aspects on which they have considered continuing to work, said Romero Rodríguez. Among them, he highlighted the follow-up to the implementation of the Ordering Task; identify income reserves to the local budget, as well as the control and destination of expenses; raise the quality of the services provided to the population, and promote the formulation of projects for local development, in correspondence with the strategic lines approved in each municipality.

After the evaluations and suggestions made by several members of the Council of Ministers for future performance in that central territory, which has ahead a stage of much work, learning and important challenges after the purpose of increasingly improving the quality of life of its population, this body approved the accountability report presented by the Governor and the Opinion that was made on it. (Cadenagramonte)