The Prosecutor's Office of the Vitebsk region conducted an inspection of compliance with legislation during the implementation of state scientific and technical programs, and the targeted and effective use of funds allocated for these purposes.

The Vitebsk Regional Prosecutor's Office conducted an inspection of the enforcement of legislation in the implementation of state scientific and technical programs, the targeted and effective use of budgetary, extra-budgetary and other funds allocated for these purposes, the completeness and timeliness of program implementation, and the introduction of obtained results into practical activities.

In order to study the issues of fulfilling the tasks of the state scientific and technical programs "Agrokompleks - Sustainable Development" for 2011-2015; "Machine Building" for 2011-2015, an unscheduled monitoring was initiated at a number of enterprises in the region, including RUP "Vitebsk Zonal Institute of Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus", OJSC "Izmeritel", OJSC "Vitebsk Plant of Electrical Measuring Instruments".

During the inspection of the issues of fulfilling the regional scientific and technical program "Innovative Development of the Vitebsk Region" for 2011-2015, it was established that out of 32 program tasks, 5 tasks were not being fulfilled, which were included in the program without scientific and technical expertise. For the remaining 27 tasks, budget funds in the amount of 6148.21 million rubles were used, including funds from the republican budget - 5690.21 million rubles, funds from the innovation fund of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee - 458 million rubles. In general, more than half of the program tasks (14 out of 27 tasks) were supposed to be completed by 2011 with product output. However, 4 tasks (funded in the amount of 782.85 million rubles) were not completed due to the fact that product output was not completed in the established volume, and funds in the amount of 468.68 million rubles are subject to return to the budget, of which 249.9 million rubles have been returned. Of the remaining 13 tasks, only 3 tasks involved R&D, and 7 tasks were performed with delays in production volumes and deadlines.

Planning of tasks without proper market research led to inefficient use of budget funds and enterprise resources -

manufacturers. For example, Vitebsk Fruit and Vegetable Processing Plant OJSC failed to meet the production volume target for prophylactic fruit and vegetable puree enriched with nutrients.

The low quality of task selection, their detachment from the actual market demand, and the slow implementation of developments reduced product competitiveness.

For instance, Orsha Tool Plant OJSC, having completed the assignment for the production of boring heads, for which 160 million rubles were used in 2011-2013, including equal shares of budget funds and own funds, ensured the total production plan for 2014. However, out of 136 units produced, only 3 units were sold, generating revenue of 8.8 million rubles. At the same time, in 2015-2016, the assignment is to be continued, with an additional 56 units of this product to be manufactured.

Insufficient coordination among various customers led to the development of equivalent scientific solutions, which reduced the efficiency of budget fund utilization.

For example, within the framework of the State Import Substitution Program, Izmeritel OJSC had been developing an electronic accelerator pedal since February 2009, for which 200 million rubles were allocated from the budget, and the enterprise additionally spent 300 million rubles. Meanwhile, the regional program "Innovative Development of Vitebsk Region" included a task for the development of a product with similar technical characteristics, which VZEP OJSC began to implement in December 2009 with a budget financing of 165.1 million rubles and enterprise funds of 240 million rubles. The Acoustics Institute informed the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee twice on parallel production of the pedal, it was proposed to suspend the funding of development work by OJSC "VZEP", however, a decision on saving budget funds was not made.

The foregoing indicates systemic shortcomings in the planning and execution of the regional program.

During the monitoring of the fulfillment of the tasks of the State Scientific and Technical Program (GNTP) regarding the execution by RUP "Vitebsk Zonal Institute of Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus" of the task for developing a cultivation technology for new varieties of winter rapeseed, as well as the development and implementation into production of extruded energy-rich concentrate based on winter rapeseed oilseeds as a feed additive for young cattle, it was established that the institute did not fulfill the research tasks and did not achieve the goal of the assignment.

The fulfillment of the consolidated production output plan is on the verge of disruption. In fact, to date, the manufacturing enterprise for the developed product has not been identified; the result envisaged by stage 1.1 of the calendar plan for the assignment for 2013 has not been obtained - the technological regulations for the production of extruded energy-rich concentrate have not been developed, the research tasks for the introduction of winter rapeseed cultivation technology in agricultural enterprises of the republic have not been completed, the Industry Regulations for the cultivation of winter rapeseed in the conditions of the northeastern region of the Republic of Belarus have not been developed (not coordinated by the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and not approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food).

Thus, the institute, being the executor of the assignment, did not ensure the fulfillment of the work stages of the assignment regarding the production of the developed product in the volumes and terms established by the assignment, thereby jeopardizing the disruption

achieving the goals of the state program funded by the republican budget.

The responsibility of the task performers is stipulated by contracts, according to which, in case of failure to master the production of the developed products, or mastering them without release, the performer is obliged to return to the customer the funds allocated for the work in full. In case of failure to achieve the planned production volume or failure to achieve the payback of the allocated funds, the performer is obliged to return the allocated funds in the amount determined by the customer, but not exceeding the amount of allocated funds.

Taking into account the identified shortcomings and violations committed by the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, RUP "Vitebsk Zonal Institute of Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus" in the implementation of state and regional scientific and technical programs, the regional prosecutor's office has taken this issue under control, and a corresponding representation has been made to the director of the institute. Based on the results of 2016, regarding RUP "Vitebsk Zonal Institute of Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus", the issue of returning the received budget funds for the implementation of the task "Develop a cultivation technology for new varieties of winter rapeseed in the northeastern zone of the republic. Develop and implement extruded energy-intensive concentrate based on winter rapeseed oilseeds as a feed additive for young cattle" included in the State Scientific and Technical Program "Agroindustrial Complex - Sustainable Development" for 2011-2015 will be resolved.

In addition, in the second half of 2016, the regional prosecutor's office, together with the Vitebsk Regional Committee of State Control, will organize an unscheduled inspection of OAO "Vizas" Plant, which is the performer of task 4.69 "Develop and master the production of a basic model of a CNC gear cutting machine for bevel gears" of the subprogram "Machine Tools and Tools" of the State Scientific and Technical Program "Machine Building and Machine Building Technologies", 2013-2015, with the aim of returning funds from the republican budget in the amount of 2,441.1 million rubles allocated for the work under the named program.

Prosecutor of the Department for Supervision of
Legislation Enforcement and
Legality of Legal Acts
of the Vitebsk Regional Prosecutor's Office N.L. Kolpakova.