BASIC ASPECTS OF RURAL SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The social infrastructure of rural areas is of particular importance when considering issues of both an economic and social nature. Both production and non-production rural areas necessitate the availability of social facilities. The main purpose of social infrastructure facilities nowadays and in the past of rural and urban areas development is to meet the needs of the population. At the same time, social infrastructure defines the basis for the level and quality of life of civil society. Its condition is an indicator of the territorial development and provides opportunities for innovative development and investment attraction. For many years now, the rural social infrastructure has been in poor condition in Russia. Problems are observed in the living conditions of citizens, in elements of residential properties improvement, undeveloped system of medical and educational services, unavailability of cultural and leisure facilities, and so on. Due to such a negative state of the rural social sphere, problems arise with the demographic situation and the production sphere in terms of the inability to attract highly qualified personnel. The Program for the Sustainable Development of Rural Territories developed by the Government of Russia holds back the general, intensively negative situation, and is fundamentally changing it in some regions of the country. The paper presents the results of the implementation of the main Program directions and gives some recommendations on its further implementation and development of the rural social infrastructure.