“The winners of the contest are to receive 95 million rubles from the federal budget for the years 2014-2016,” said the Russian government in a statement on Saturday announcing the winners. “No less than 90% of the award is to be spent on the development of city infrastructure and municipal institutions, while up to 10% can go on bonuses to those employees who have gained the best results in improving the infrastructure and institutions of their area.”
The contest has been run since 2010 by the Ministry for Construction and Municipal Infrastructure, and the winners announced on Saturday are those cities who posted the best results for 2013. Stavropol in the south of Russia took first place, followed by Ulyanovsk on the river Volga, and Belgorod, which lies close to the border with Ukraine.
“Prizes are awarded with a view to stimulating local organizations to devote greater attention to questions of development of municipal infrastructure and improving the livability of their local area,” the government stated. Last year’s competition was topped by the cities of Kaluga, Cheboksary and Vladimir.
