Penza, 14 October 2016. PenzaNews. Lack of interest in entrepreneurship is one of the main factors restraining the development of business in Penza. This opinion was expressed by the head of the consumer market department of assistance to small and medium business of the City Hall Olga Zhovtyak.

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“Dominating fact of restraining the business development now is personal characteristics of entrepreneurs, above all – aversion to risk, lack of interest in entrepreneurship or of entrepreneurial abilities,” she said during a meeting of the permanent commission of the city Duma on socio-economic development, industry, transport, communication and entrepreneurship on Friday, October 14.

Olga Zhovtyak clarified that at the city level there have been adopted a series of measures to stimulate entrepreneurial activity of population.

“As of today, there are 55 thousand business entities in the Penza region, which employ about 290 thousand people,” she explained adding that there are over 22 thousand individual entrepreneurs registered in the region, which is more than in the Ulyanovsk region, Mari El, Chuvashia and Mordovia.

According to her, in 2015 the proportion of small and medium enterprises in gross regional product amounted to 28.9%.

“As of September 22, 2016 in the city of Penza, there are more than 30 thousand enterprises of small and medium business, which employ 93 thousand people. It must be said that we are monitoring enterprises that are formed and eliminated. Today it is characterized by the growth in number of small and medium business entities. There are about 3 thousand entities formed and less than 2 thousand entities eliminated. Thus, the increase amounted to 1 thousand 121 entities,” the head of the consumer market department noted.

Olga Zhovtyak specified that in 2016, the Penza budget designates 300 thousand rubles to support of small and medium business.