Five priorities, 100 goals, and a program of measures for 7 years. Opinions are expressed that the “Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy, which passed public discussion on August 15, will become a historical document that will ensure the country's development path and society's further development.

The strategy covers essential aspects such as treating a person first as an individual, considering their capabilities, creating conditions for them to show themselves and their potential, and helping them. Also, no issue necessary for citizens to live decent lives from birth to old age has yet to be addressed.

Maternal and child health, healthy childhood, all stages of education, and even achieving and supporting scientific degrees are included in the document. Special attention was given to women, family environment, mahalla work, older people, people needing social protection, environmental protection, and use of water resources.

Older people are always honored

Botir TEMIROV,

Hero of Uzbekistan:

– People always set goals for themselves. They make plans based on their ability to implement them. In general, I believe life is based on the criteria of moving towards goals and striving for new dreams. When this issue is taken at the national level, these goals will become a significant strategy, and society will develop and progress. Based on this, I can say that the current strategy in our country and the draft strategy covering the issues planned until 2030 are the basis for reasonable steps.

What do older people want? Naturally, they want to see the results of their hard work over the years, the growth of their children, and, of course, the prosperity of their homeland. For this, it is necessary to be healthy first of all. The goal of ensuring healthy and active aging proposed in the strategy is included in this sense.

It is based on the concept of active aging by the World Health Organization and the implementation of indicators for assessing the health and well-being of older people. Therefore, according to the document, first of all, it is necessary to introduce a system for evaluating the health and activity of the elderly population. Because some people may not be suitable for any serious work at the age of 60, some people, on the contrary, are full of energy even if they are over 80. It would be a mistake to judge only by the age of the passport. If a system is created that determines a person's biological state, we can get the answer to the question of who can be given what kind of help or what task will be provided. As a result, the targeting of social assistance and state funds will increase.

Of course, the annual preventive examination of the elderly population also increases work productivity. If someone is diagnosed with a chronic disease, the issues of outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation will accelerate. Of course, it is gratifying that particular standards are also set in this direction.

The document states the need to conduct “School of Prevention” training in multidisciplinary central polyclinics to teach elderly patients and their children suffering from non-infectious diseases to “Self-care”. Teaching self-care and healthcare, which improves people’s medical culture, is relevant. In developed countries, these issues have become commonplace. You can protect your health by eating right, avoiding excess weight, exercising, and following simple hygiene requirements.

Although it is bitter, I will tell you one truth. It is better to stop thinking about great results without teaching people to live appropriately, give up various useless rituals, and spend money on science and health, not luxuries. From this point of view, strategy standards are vital.

It serves the people’s interests

Tursunboy SOLIYEV,

Chairman of Toshloq District Council of the PDP of Uzbekistan, member of the party group in the district council:

– The proposed document is essential because it includes the issues of ensuring the well-being of the population through sustainable economic growth, environmental protection, the rule of law, the organization of public administration in the service of the people, and the transformation of the country into a peaceful and safe state.

It is determined to increase the level of coverage of preschool education to 74.5%, including the number of state preschool education organizations to 6.7 thousand, institutions based on a public-private partnership to 26 thousand, and the level of coverage of 6-year-old children with preschool education to 93 percent.

Five or six years ago, only 19 state preschool educational institutions were operating at the level of our district. The coverage was less than 30 percent. Today, 28 state, 185 family, and 8 public-private kindergartens have been established due to these efforts. Coverage is 70 percent. In addition, it is planned to build a state preschool education organization with at least 450 places on the territory of “Togliq”, “Teraktagi” and “Kurgoncha” MCAs in the district based on the investment program.

After Uzbekistan was declared a social state, the social obligations of the state increased almost three times. Reforms in how the state fulfills its commitments to ensure education, medicine, and the population's welfare are entering a new stage. The goals of the “Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy, including the socially oriented goals, are significant in that they are consistent with the programmatic ideas of the People’s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan.

In accordance with the measures determined in this way, by 2030, the need for preschool education will be fully covered, and it is planned to reach 100% coverage in exchange for the expansion of kindergartens and the development of the material and technical base. In this case, the state will cover the costs of kindergartens and private kindergartens for children of especially needy families. Preschool education institutions will provide milk enriched with proteins, vitamins, and minerals and bread products enriched with iodine.

Also, it is considered a priority task to fundamentally improve the quality of education by creating places for two and a half million students in schools in the next seven years. In this regard, it is gratifying that a program of 500,000 student places per year has been developed.

Much attention is being paid to the issues of providing the population with clean drinking water and sanitary-hygienic infrastructure, especially in educational institutions. For example, if the level of providing people with clean drinking water reached 60% earlier in the following years, large projects were implemented, and positive results were achieved. In accordance with the President’s decision on the development of the social infrastructure of the neighborhoods, 17 projects were implemented this year to provide the population and social facilities with clean drinking water. As a result, 95 percent of our district people got clean drinking water.

Fundamentally reforming the school system, mainly protecting children’s health, and healthy nutrition, establishing specialized schools for our gifted children, and creating conditions in them no less than Presidential schools are good news and a sign of high goals. All this is clear proof that New Uzbekistan is a social state.

There will be more women leaders

Nigora ALIYEVA,

Deputy Chairman of Syrdarya Regional Council of the PDP of Uzbekistan:

– There is an opinion that if the woman in the family is educated, 9 out of 10 children will be intelligent. Intelligent and educated mothers raise a truly great nation. Because an educated and intelligent mother brings up her child with such characteristics. And wisdom embodies good behavior and education, a love for books, and a broad worldview. According to the words of the Head of our state, by educating one girl, we educate the whole family.

Unfortunately, the opposite of these views was formed in our society. Thankfully, today people are realizing how important it is for a girl child to be educated for the family, the future generation, and the community. It should be recognized that the impact of various regulatory documents implemented in practice is significant.

This is clearly expressed in the goal of the “Uzbekistan-2030” Strategy and the measures leading to it. They are strengthening the support system for women, ensuring their rights and legal interests, increasing their social, economic, and political activity, and ensuring gender equality.

This is one of the objectives of the proposed document. The first issue mentioned concerns the implementation of targeted measures to ensure equal rights and opportunities for women and men in public service, education, science, sports, healthcare, and other socio-economic fields and increase women's social and political activity. In turn, it was mentioned what needs to be paid attention to.

For example, the need is noted to ensure equal participation of women and men in state and community management, social and economic spheres. Today, 320 local Council deputies are working in our region, 59 of whom are women. It can be seen that opportunities for solving women’s problems are not fully provided. Implementation of tasks in the strategy means a special opportunity for our sisters of Syrdarya in this direction as well.

Weekly roundtable discussions and meetings on “Women’s share in the country's development” are being held in mahallas. To increase the participation of women in state administration, 15 thousand 483 active women were taken into reserve. 6 candidates were selected from them and trained at the Academy of State Management “School of Women Leaders”

Also, the contract fees of 923 million UZS of 126 students from needy families studying in higher education institutions were paid from local budget funds. Interest-free education loans of 50 billion UZS for 7 years were allocated to more than 5 thousand women. The state budget covered contract fees of 3 billion UZS for 210 women studying for the master’s degree at Gulistan State University.

8 trainers and 6 advocacy groups were formed to ensure gender equality and increase women's social and political activity. “Gender-Madad” electronic legal consultation platform and its mobile application have been launched. A database on legal topics such as “Women’s Legal Protection”, “Gender Equality”, “Women’s Privileges”, “Family Relations” and “Domestic Violence” has been placed in them, and a system for providing legal advice online chat has been launched.

Of course, it is necessary to increase the socio-political activity of women. According to the project, a program of measures will be developed to ensure the implementation of the adopted law and draft laws. Through systematic education, knowledge, and skills enrichment, it is possible to bring up competent and intelligent women.

We need to learn to look at women not as representatives of the weaker gender, but as delicate beings. That's why more scientists, doctors of science, skilled engineers-technologists, incomparable farmers, and famous businessmen grow up among them.

Muzaffar TUROPOV,

Deputy Chairman of Kashkadarya Regional Council of the PDP of Uzbekistan:

– Activists of Kashkadarya regional organizations of the People’s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan, as well as people’s deputies elected from our party, deputies of local councils, thoroughly studied the project of the “Uzbekistan-2030” Strategy and expressed their opinions. We fully support the goal of raising the status of local councils.

In particular, it is proposed to completely cancel the practice of governors leading the local Council and clearly define the legal status, main tasks and functions, and scope of responsibility of the Chairman of the Council. As a person who has worked in the party system for many years and has seen people’s deputies become deputies of regional and Karshi city councils, I believe this is very important.

Because the tasks of the Chairman of the Council and the hokim are clearly defined. If the regional hokim is a deputy, he can express his opinion. The same goes for the district or city hokim. But he does not interfere in the work and decisions of the Council. Accordingly, specific criteria and functional tasks are defined.

It would be expedient to cancel the practice of hokims leading local councils from 2024 in regions and 2026 in districts and cities. The reason is that in 2024-2025 experience will be gathered in the Regional Council of People’s Deputies. Since the Kashkadarya region is a large area, the practice of summarizing the issues waiting to be solved will have a good effect.

Starting in 2024, the work of 5 permanent professional deputies will ensure the effectiveness of this practice. The reason is that now the chairpersons of permanent commissions operate publicly. They have their primary tasks.

Five permanent deputies must be experienced and knowledgeable. Currently, all 59 deputies work on a public basis. If there are permanent representatives of the people, quality issues are included in permanent commissions and sessions. Performance discipline will also improve. The execution of the council’s decisions is ensured. Activities are organized according to the plan. For this, the work must be systematic. There should be permanent deputies in the Regional Council and district (city) Councils.

I also support the proposal to review the functions of more than 300 local councils in the project, cancel the non-specific ones, and systematize more than 500 legal documents. Creation of the necessary conditions for public participation in the activities of local councils focused on the project, broad involvement of civil society institutions, and step-by-step digitization of their actions is the demand of the time.

In short, we believe that the tasks set for the effective functioning of the local Councils of People’s Deputies will have a tremendous democratic effect in preventing the executive power from being irresponsible to the people, strengthening social stability in our country, and eliminating apathy in society.

The page is prepared by

“Voice of Uzbekistan” Reporter Zilola UBAYDULLAYEVA.

“O’zbekiston Ovozi” (“Voice of Uzbekistan”), 16.08.2022, No. 31