Alexei Mordashov, Severstal's general director stated that at the expanded meeting of Expert Council on Economic Policies and Investments with the Presidential Plenipotentiary in the Northwestern district and the Coordinating Council of the North-West association. Alexei Mordashov is a member of the above expert council.
   Mordashov noted that "the project's aim is to increase the standards of living of Russian people." "In my opinion, this project gives a solid basis for continuing work in the same direction, " he said. Mordashov thinks it's possible to have a minimum wage of no less than three dollars per hour for every resident of the North-west as suggested by the strategy developers. "It is possible in the long term, but I am not sure that we can reach this in the short term. A lot will depend on the regional authorities and whether they can unite in achieving a common goal rather than waste time fighting," said Modashov.
   Today's meeting of regional leaders of the North-west approved the draft strategy of social and economic development of the Northwestern district. The main social goal of the strategy is approaching of the minimum standards of living, meeting social needs, developing of intellectual potential and job motivation, achieved in the beginning of XXI century by developed countries. Thus, the desired average wage of an employee is expected to be US $ 500-550. The ratio of average income per person to the average cost of living is expected to be no less than 3:1. The share of the population with an income of less than the cost of living is expected to be no less than 8-10%. Other desired social indicators that are possible to achieve are an increase in the life expectancy to 70 years, an increase in birthrate to the average two children per family.
    To attain these goals it is required to have high rate of economic growth during the entire time of the strategy fulfillment. Development and growth in the advanced technologies are considered a priority because turning Russia into the country, which sells raw materials will take away the growth rate necessary to achieve the desired standard of living.