Tashkent city administration

On January 10, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting at which the ongoing work was analyzed and further tasks for the socio-economic development of the Republic of Karakalpakstan were identified. Special attention is paid to the development of the economy of Karakalpakstan and improving the quality of life of its population. Over the past seven years, the region has undergone unprecedented changes. The republic, 12 of its 15 districts were subsidized, began to provide revenues to its budget. In particular, more than 5.3 thousand projects were implemented through investments worth 15 trillion soums. Forest plantations covering an area of 1.8 million hectares have been created on the dry bottom of the Aral Sea. The living conditions of 51 thousand families were improved, construction and repair work was completed in 401 mahallas. The standard of living of the population has increased. Karakalpakstan provides benefits and opportunities for doing business that are not available in any other region. In particular, in order to create an attractive business environment and favorable conditions for residents of the region, taxes on profit, turnover, land and property were reduced by 2 times, and the social tax rate was set at 1 percent. As a result, entrepreneurs have 500 billion soums per year at their disposal. To raise this work to a new level, over the past two years, 7 decrees and resolutions have been adopted to develop industry, agriculture and entrepreneurship, and improve the infrastructure of mahallas in Karakalpakstan. 400 million US dollars and 250 billion soums have been allocated for these purposes. In the cities and regions of the Aral Sea region, the implementation of many projects continues in collaboration with economic sectors and regions. The meeting reviewed the work done in 2023 and discussed tasks for 2024. Today the population of Karakalpakstan has exceeded 2 million people. Every year 50 thousand citizens enter the labor market. The head of our state drew attention to the need to train them in modern professions, provide them with work and decent conditions. To this end, large-scale work is planned for this year. In particular, it is planned to increase the volume of industrial production to 23 trillion soums, as well as create production capacity for 2 trillion soums. 24 large projects worth 5 trillion soums will be launched in the textile industry, electrical engineering, pharmaceuticals and construction materials sector. In 2024, it is planned to attract 2 billion 100 million dollars of foreign investment to the region. Due to this, 206 projects will be implemented in industry, 240 in the service sector, 34 in agriculture, and about 13 thousand highly profitable jobs will be created. In Karakalpakstan, there is a positive dynamics in the development of production, agriculture, tourism and other services. It was noted that it is necessary to effectively take advantage of this opportunity and increase exports to $160 million. A foreign grant will be attracted to increase agricultural productivity. Water-saving technologies will be introduced on 6 thousand hectares of land, and 31 thousand hectares will be leveled with lasers. Measures are planned to repair the infrastructure of mahallas and houses of the population. 2.3 billion soums will be allocated for the treatment of people in need of high-tech medical services. In addition, 182 billion soums will be allocated to projects based on citizen initiatives, as well as 40 billion soums from the local budget this year. 10 trillion soums will be allocated for projects under programs to support small and medium-sized businesses. The President emphasized that plans to create new jobs in the region do not correspond to the existing potential, and pointed to additional opportunities. For example, in 51 industrial zones, 71 projects worth 775 billion soums can be launched and 1 thousand jobs can be created. Or you can put 10 thousand hectares of vacant land up for auction and attract 20 thousand entrepreneurs. This means 50 thousand jobs. There is also an opportunity to develop non-metallic deposits and employ 10 thousand people through projects worth 7.5 trillion soums. The head of state noted that tourism is one of the big reserves in this regard. The task was set to develop a program for the development of tourism in Karakalpakstan, especially environmental, ethnographic, pilgrimage destinations, organize a tourism cluster and attract foreign experts to the field. The need to develop the Nukus airport and increase air traffic, build new hotels, modernize museums, and expand roadside services was pointed out. The importance of attracting specialists from Germany, South Korea, Japan and Turkey to train young people in 17 types of in-demand skills, such as foreign languages, information technology, design, and hotel services, was noted. The responsible persons noted that there is every opportunity to transform Karakalpakstan into a region free of unemployment, and reported on the measures that will be taken in this direction.