Uzbekistan to extend $700m to fight poverty

AKIPRESS.COM - President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in his address to the Parliament paid special attention to social issues and said that the budget will allocate $700 million to fight poverty.
"It's not a secret that most residents of the regions, especially the villages, don't have sufficient sources of income. We have poor segments of the population, too, and according to various estimates, this figure is 12-15 percent. We are talking about 4-5 million people. I propose to develop a Poverty Reduction Program jointly with the World Bank, the UN Development Program and other international organizations," Mirziyoyev said.
He said it is necessary to gradually implement the pilot project launched in 22 rural areas of the Ferghana Valley to teach the population modern skills of business and entrepreneurship, which gives positive results.
He instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to develop a draft law on the foundations of social entrepreneurship and measures to stimulate it within 2 months.
The government should ensure the creation of 500 thousand new jobs this year as part of the state programs, he ruled.