Address by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan H.E. Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Part 4)
Distinguished participants of the session!
We will continue the large-scale reforms which we have been implementing for over the last three years to radically improve the lives of the people on the basis of the principle «Human interests are above all».
First, to this end improving the people’s well-being and social protection will remain one of our core tasks.
It is an open secret that in the regions, especially, in the countryside areas, majority of the population doesn’t have source of sufficient income.
Like in any other country, we also have strata of low-income population.
According to some estimates, they account for approximately 12-15 percent.
We are not speaking about small numbers here, but rather about 4-5 million of our people.
Some people think that we can address this problem by paying or increasing the amount of social pension and financial support benefit.
It is a one track approach which doesn’t allow resolving the problem in full.
Addressing poverty is promoting the spirit entrepreneurship among the population, tapping a person’s inner strength and potential in full, pursuing an integrated economic and social policy in terms of job creation.
Therefore, I propose to develop a Poverty reduction plan jointly with the World Bank and UNDP.
A new methodology needs to be developed through deep studies based on international standards which would cover the definition of poverty, its identification and assessment criteria.
In addition, we should gradually spread to all regions a positive experience in terms of providing the population with modern entrepreneurial and business skills which started in 22 village districts of Fergana Valley.
A priority should be given to supporting entrepreneurial initiatives aimed at addressing social problems on the ground, especially, youth’s and women’s entrepreneurship.
To this end, the population and entrepreneurs will be provided a wide access to micro-financing services, financial resources and public procurement.
Through such measures, our people’s interest and confidence in entrepreneurship will increase, they will strive for receiving more income.
At the same time, not everyone can become an entrepreneur. Therefore, they should be engaged systemically, retrained and provided with a decent job.
Seven hundred million dollars will be attracted for these purposes.
We should fully support the entrepreneurs creating new jobs and raise them over our heads if you will.
The Cabinet of Ministers shall draft in two month time a law on the basics of social entrepreneurship and measures for its incentivizing.
In addition, the government must ensure creation of 500 thousand new jobs this year in the framework of state programs and through developing entrepreneurship.
I would like underscore that new entrepreneurial entities and jobs created in each sector, sphere, region and district will be the main criterion in assessing the activity of heads of these regions.
Throughout the year, the increase in wages, student allowances, and benefits will exceed the inflation rates.
Comprehensive system of social pension must be introduced, in particular, the coverage of support to low-income families must be expanded and targeted use of budgetary funds be ensured.
In addition, pension award criteria should be revised and an open and fair system should be created with critical revision of the role the makhalla in this regard.
In general, if people approach a single office for social pension, this office should be able to do all the paperwork and find a solution to the situation in one day.
A system will be created which will require only a passport for awarding a pension to retiring citizens.
To this end, the state archive system must be digitalized in the first place.
This year an integrated and efficient system needs to be put in place for engaging and providing social support to elderly, particularly, the lone elderly.
The amount of social benefits provided to them should also be revised.
A separate program needs to be developed for social integration of inmates of «Mekhribonlik uyi» orphanages, particularly, in terms of providing them with jobs and housing in the future.
Since these children must always feel that the state and society will take care of them, be their caring support and buttress.
Disability, burial ceremony, breadwinner-loss, and industrial injury benefits and allowances must be revised and a Law “On Social insurance” needs to be drafted.
In two month time, the Cabinet of Ministers shall develop a Concept of social protection of the population, and define priority tasks based on the foregoing directions.
Second, we will steadfastly continue our reforms in terms of developing public healthcare system, improving the quality of medical services.
We need to take practical measures in order to enhance doctors’ prestige and status in society, strengthen people’s respect to them, create decent work conditions and increase their incomes.
One point five trillion soums or 1,3 time more compared to last year will be allocated to public medical facilities and providing the population with medicines and medical supplies.
One point one trillion soums will be allocated from budget for construction and reconstruction of 281 medical facilities.
In addition, a modern management system needs to be introduced at 17 specialized scientific-practical medical institutions.
Measures need to be taken to further develop private medicine on public- private-partnership basis, strengthen fair competition, and primarily, attracting foreign investors to specialized medical centers.
The time has come to improve the quality of hematologic and virologic assistance, drastically reform the system of medical services to such difficult-to-treat patients.
We need to increase funding for early diagnosis of blood and virologic diseases, training qualified hematologists, virologists, and immunologists, procuring medicines and medical equipment.
This year, electronic cards should be introduced at specialized centers and their branch-offices, as well as medical facilities of Tashkent city.
In order to cardinally reform the system of healthcare funding, the laws on compulsory social insurance and all organizational measures for their implementation should be drafted and developed this year.
This system will be piloted this year in Syrdarya region.
Controlling the movement of medicines, suppressing the circulation of counterfeit products and creation of a system for online tracking of real prices of medicines is yet another urgent task.
Third, this year we will elevate the work on supporting women and youth to a new level.
Soft loans in the amount of 100 billion soums will be provided in 2020 for small business projects of 5,5 thousand women. Resources will be allocated to banks from state budget.
Besides, initial payment will be made from state budget so that 1 thousand 576 women could have their new homes.
Our women in need of social protection will undergo short-term training at Women’s entrepreneurship centers in the framework of five important initiatives.
Profound changes taking place in our country put further enhancement of the youth-related state policy on top of the agenda.
A single set of indices for assessing the efficiency of work with the youth need to be developed and a national indicator for assessing the youth policy needs to be introduced.
The Youth Union of Uzbekistan must develop a «Youth of Uzbekistan-2025» concept and define practical measures for upbringing morally and physically developed generation.
No one should remain aloof from ensuring peace and tranquility in society, the motto «Protect your child, your home, your Motherland as an apple of an eye!» should deeply penetrate and settle in the hearts of our people.
It is of paramount importance to continuously raise the moral and spiritual awareness of the population, especially the young people.
In this regard, it is an extremely noble duty to upbring the youth under the idea «From national renewal – to national progress», nurture love to Motherland in their hearts, encourage initiative and patriotism and form moral qualities in them.
Our new initiative with regard to the youth that started in the Republic of Karakalpakstan will be implemented across the country.
I urge the regional governors, and public on the ground to attach serious importance to this matter.
Fourth, healthy lifestyle should be actively and widely promoted among the population.
In this regard, new mass sports facilities should be constructed in the regions for the public, especially for our youth.
This year, projects amounting nearly 500 billion soums will be implemented to construct 269 football, volleyball, basketball and badminton fields, 178 boxing, wrestling, fitness and gymnastics rooms.
A four-layer system consisting of «organization-district (city)-region-country» stages is to be introduced to identify and select gifted sportspeople.
The Government and the National Olympic Committee shall create all the necessary conditions for our athletes to worthily participate at the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games this year.
Fifth, we need to strengthen the attention to protecting the environment and improving ecological situation.
Primarily, we need to continue unprecedented work on mitigating the consequences of the Aral Sea tragedy and expand the forested areas on the dried seabed and create green belts around Nukus, Urgench and Khiva cities.
Enhancing environmental control over manufacturing process, revising ecological audit procedures and revival of private audit activities is another important task.
The Government shall develop and integrated plan of measures for the period 2025 to prevent environmental impact of industrial development.
In addition, the Government shall draft the Ecological Code until October 1, 2020 with involvement of high-profile international experts.
The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, governors of regions, district and city mayors shall develop and implement plans on improving the ecological situation of each area and environmental impact of each enterprise, as well as waste management.
Sixth, special attention should be paid to the institutions of culture and art, strengthening their material and technical infrastructure.
This year 22 theaters and institutions of culture will be constructed and reconstructed at the expense of budgetary funds.
In addition, 20 cultural centers and amusement parks will be commissioned on public-private partnership basis.
Artistically mature works need to be created in cinematography, development of modern movie-industry, particularly, construction of new movie theaters should be ensured.
The state funding of filmmaking will be enhanced this year.
In this regard, we need to develop the Concept of development of cinematography until 2030 and draft the Law «On cinematography».
Besides, this year we need to successfully hold the Second Maqom Music Festival in Shakhrisabz which is an important event in our cultural life.
In addition, 2020 is the year of the 145th anniversary of Makhmudkhuja Bekhbudiy, renowned scholar and writer who held the torch of enlightenment high in difficult periods of our nation’s history.
In fact, we need to carefully study the Jadid movement, the heritage left by our ancestors – the champions of enlightenment.
The more we study this moral treasure, the more answers we will find to the numerous questions that bother us these days.
The more actively we promote this invaluable richness, our people, especially our youth, will appreciate today’s tranquil and free life.(AK/R1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
