Penza, 5 December 2013. PenzaNews. The Penza region is again among the regions with the highest level of socio-political sustainability in the rating compiled by “St. Petersburg Politics” for November 2013.

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According to the survey, the index of sustainability of the Penza region is 8,5 points as a month ago. However, among other subordinate entities of the Federation with the highest index, it is now on the sixth, not the tenth position like it was a month ago.

This was affected by the amount of the deficit in the budget in 2014, which is 3,2 billion rubles in the Penza region, and 2,6 billion rubles in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, which has the same index of sustainability.

Positive events, affecting the position in the rating, include the adoption of the state program on development of industry until 2020 and the discussion of issues regarding development of single-industry towns between the governor Vasily Bochkarev and the management of Vnesheconombank.

In addition, commissioning of the seed oil pressing plant LLC Cornoil in the Kameshkirsky area, built due to investors financing, played a positive pole.

Moreover, analysts appraised the plans of the Australian gas and oil company Odin Energy Ltd to acquire 80% of shares of the company Burtasy Oil, which owns licenses to Pionersky and Shatkinsky oil fields in the Penza region.

However, the researchers spotted a number of negative factors that influenced the results of the rating. Among them are the public debt of the Penza region amounting to 15 billion 528 million rubles and the intention of the government to take a loan in the amount of 250 million rubles to finance the budget deficit.

The position of the region was negatively affected by the mass poisoning of pupils in lyceum No. 29.

One more fact, which had a negative impact on the position of the region, was collecting signatures against the City Duma intent to give some parts of eight schools’ buildings to the Penza Eparchy for its free use.

New initiatives of the governor Vasily Bochkarev, among which are the translation of signs and banners into Russian, learning the anthem by officials and organizing its joint singing, as well as the proposal to the law enforcement bodies not to cover corruption cases in the media before trials, are considered events having no influence on sustainability of the Penza region.

The rating of the fund “St. Petersburg Politics” has been published monthly since autumn 2012. It estimates the level of socio-political sustainability in all the subordinate entities of the Russian Federation.

The level of sustainability is defined by experts and based on the 10-point scale.

Within the rating, the regions are divided into four categories according to the degree of socio-political sustainability and are sorted according to the dynamics for the last month.