Ministerial Decree No. 195 of the Ministry of Natural Resources instituting local branches of the Ministry.

The purpose of this Decree is to set up the structure of local branches of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation and to define their sphere of competence at the local level. The Minister emphasises that some local branches of the Ministry are entitled to administer and manage public land and public water at the regional level while these tasks pertain to the sphere of competence of the regional authorities. This Decree reforms the actual structure by validating 87 existing committees at the regional level and by setting up 13 newly-created committees. These Committees are subdivided into 3 categories: Regional Geological Centres that are entitled to administer public land, soil and subsoil for the purpose of extraction and conservation of minerals, Water Management Boards that are entitled to administer specific river basins and Committees of Natural Resources that are entitled to administer natural resources, precious stones and minerals included, at the regional level.