Penza, 14 July 2014. PenzaNews. The governor of the Penza region Vasily Bochkarev instructed the Minister of Health of the region Vladimir Stryuchkov to weigh each official in order to determine the optimal weight for each one.

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This statement was made after the speech of Mikhail Torgashin, the head of the regional department of industry and energy, at the weekly operational meeting in the government of the Penza region, during which he reported on the relatively low industrial production levels.

Commenting on the figures announced, Vasily Bochkarev said he was troubled by the fact that Mordovia shows higher levels, even though the head of the responsible department there is paid less than his colleague in Penza.

“An 34-years-old official goes to work with such a belly. Are you not ashamed? That’s how you work — grow your bellies, sit in your offices, never go to the factories,” the governor said.

He added that some male officials are similar in appearance to pregnant women.

“Stryuchkov, gather all the potbellied officials, weigh them and say what their weight should be at each one’s age and height. And take the necessary measures for them so that they kept fit, starting with [the first deputy chairman of the Penza region Roman] Chernov,” Vasily Bochkarev addressed to the Minister of Health of the region Vladimir Stryuchkov.

As news agency PenzaNews reported earlier, just over a year ago, on June 3, 2013, Vasily Bochkarev made remarks to a number of ministers and deputies about their physical shape during the operational meeting in the government of the Penza region governor.

In particular, he instructed the Minister of Health Vladimir Stryuchkov to lose 16 kg in six months, and the deputy chairman of the regional sports committee Vladimir Zhuchkov was ordered to lose weight in two months.

The initiative of Penza governor about losing weight caused public outcry the same day. Relevant publications appeared in dozens of federal and even international media.

After two and a half months Vladimir ZHuchkov, who now weighs 90 kg, declared his victory over excessive weight. Earlier, the 51-year-old official reported that being 178 cm he weighed 96-98 kg during the past 10 years, while he never considered himself a stout man. However, he said, in the past time he was able to prove to himself that “fortitude is stronger than the flesh.”