Shavkat Mirziyoyev: “Karakalpakstan to join the traditional tourist chain Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara – Khiva”

On June 12, the Presidential candidate from the Movement of Entrepreneurs and Businesspeople – the Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev – met with the Republic of Karakalpakstan voters in Nukus.

The proxy of the candidate in the Republic of Karakalpakstan Bayrambay Otemuratov opened the meeting. Presidential candidate Shavkat Mirziyoyev presented his election program. It covers priority areas in various fields. It was noted that 160 kindergartens will be built and repaired in Karakalpakstan, and 2,000 private kindergartens will be organized.

“Over the next seven years, we will create 100,000 student places. At the same time, 30 new schools and additional buildings for 150 schools will be built. Another 350 are scheduled to be renovated. The number of specialized schools will double and reach 32. As a result, schools in Karakalpakstan will not have more than 30-35 children per class. In Karakalpakstan, we have started providing free meals to students in grades 1-4. Now, for the first time, we will organize the delivery of children from remote villages to schools by bus”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

In Karakalpakstan, special attention is paid to providing the population with housing and building infrastructure. In particular, 6,000 kilometers of roads and 150 bridges will be repaired in mahallas and villages. It is planned to upgrade 5,000 kilometers of electrical networks, 1,350 transformers, and ten substations and put into operation 2,000 apartment buildings for 70,000 apartments. Solar panels with a capacity of 55 megawatts will be installed on all social and state institutions and 17,000 homes.

Presidential candidate Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced that from the new academic year, those who pay for the contract of girls studying at the university would be exempt from income tax.

At the same time, branches of leading foreign universities in agricultural technologies and engineering will be opened in Karakalpakstan, and an Institute for Digital Technologies will be opened in Nukus.

“In general, next year, we intend to increase the enrollment in higher education in Karakalpakstan to 50 percent. To this end, we will establish the practice of transferring young people studying abroad to universities in our country based on a state grant”, the candidate emphasized.

It was noted that the hard work of teachers, mentors, and university professors, the central pillar of the education sector, will continue to be duly encouraged.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that all current medical services available in Tashkent would also be launched in Nukus.

A new building will be built for the branch of the Republican Specialized Medical Center of Oncology and Radiology in Karakalpakstan. It will be fully equipped with the most modern equipment. A dormitory will be erected nearby, where relatives of patients will temporarily live.

“Starting next year, we will start paying a 200% monthly bonus in Takhtakupir, Chimbay, Karauzak, Bozatau, Shumanay, and Kungrad districts (doctors do not go to these districts, since the allowance is currently 100%). At the same time, all qualified doctors working in remote villages of Karakalpakstan will be paid a special allocation of up to 5 million UZS.

“I think it would be fair if we exempt the cost of inpatient treatment of the population from income tax only for Karakalpakstan”, the candidate said.

– Upon arrival for treatment in Tashkent or another region based on a warrant, the population included in the social register will be fully reimbursed for the cost of air and railway tickets.

The expenses of entrepreneurs who sponsored the high-tech operations of Karakalpak children will be deducted from their taxation.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the construction of special housing for youth and the provision of subsidized mortgage loans for 1,000 young families every year for the next seven years.

For this, at the first stage, 100 hectares of land will be allocated in Khojeyli district, and $100 million will be given for this project.

At the same time, it is planned to give the status of a free economic zone to the Youth Socio-Economic Center being created in Khojeyli district and provide entrepreneurs with tax and customs benefits, subject to the employment of unemployed youth.

It will house production facilities, vocational training centers, a branch of the IT Park, and project offices. The candidate noted that Ellikkala, Kungrad, and Muynak districts would be specialized in tourism, road, and trade infrastructure will be developed in Turtkul, Beruni, Amudarya, Khojeyli, Kanlykul, and Kungrad districts. It was noted that the movement of a high-speed train from Tashkent to Nukus would be established. As a result, travel time for passengers will be reduced from 16 to 7 hours. For this, it is planned to electrify the railway lines Bukhara – Urgench – Khiva with a length of 465 kilometers, and Miskin – Nukus with a distance of 196 kilometers. It is planned to allocate $460 million for this project.

“After the launch of this line, Karakalpakstan will also join the traditional tourist chain Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara – Khiva. As a result, it will be possible to ensure the stay of local and foreign tourists in our country for 4-5 days and increase the export of tourism services to $100 million ($25 million in 2023)”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

Several innovations aimed at improving the financial independence of mahallas were discussed. In this regard, property and land taxes levied on the population will be combined into a single tax – on property, and the part imposed on the people will be fully transferred to the local budget. This means that annually 230 billion UZS of additional funds will remain at the disposal of Karakalpakstan mahallas.

The write-off of 500 billion UZS of penalties for debts on property and land taxes (about 30 billion UZS in Karakalpakstan) was also announced.

“At the same time, we will further expand the possibilities of the “Open Budget” for mahallas and increase the funds allocated for it by three times. Now, 1.5 thousand votes will be enough to win the “Open Budget” projects, and by the end of the year, we will allocate another 1.2 trillion UZS for these purposes”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

At the meeting, representatives of the party noted that they would support the candidacy of Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the elections for the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and called on others to do the same.

Published On: June 12, 2023Views: 556