— How did you start your work after being appointed an assistant to the khokim?
— I was appointed to this responsible position in January 2022. The work began with an inventory of the population and business entities. At the beginning of the activity, the priority was focused on dividing the population into categories, identifying poor families in need of social protection. We have identified low-income families and residents who want to engage in entrepreneurship. As for the social status of the population, middle-income households make up the majority. Now, on the basis of individual programs, the emphasis is on the comprehensive development of entrepreneurship. Preferential loans and subsidies are provided, which ensures the employment of the unemployed, taking into account their goals and desires.
— Tell us more about your mahalla. What are the current issues?
— The mahalla is located 4 km from the district center and is considered a mid-level mahalla. There are 737 houses in mahalla, in which 3,855 citizens live. The territory of the mahalla consists mainly of residential buildings, the majority of the population is engaged in agriculture. There are a total of 42 business entities in the mahalla. Mahalla Birlik has 1 school and 2 private kindergartens. The population is mostly employed on their own private plots. Also, part of the population is engaged in seasonal work.
As a result of the research, it was found that at the beginning of 2024, the number of unemployed citizens was 56 people. This is the most acute problem in the mahalla. They were provided with the necessary financial support, loans and subsidies were allocated. 14 unemployed people have been granted a preferential loan to open a family business. Another 4 people received subsidies, and two citizens were allocated land through an auction to establish a dehkan farm. As a result, the above indicator has decreased significantly and currently stands at 6. The rest of the unemployed are involved in regular community service, which also improves their financial situation.
— What is the main driver of economic growth in your mahalla? Why were these particular directions chosen? What is being done to accelerate the development of the chosen areas?
Since agriculture is the leading area in Kitab district, most of the population is engaged in agriculture. Vegetables have been grown in our region since the time of our ancestors. Therefore, the population has good experience in this regard. The locals are well aware of many secrets of agriculture. The land of the region also corresponds to this – it is very fertile. In addition to the main driver, animal husbandry and greenhouse farming can also be mentioned. These areas have been developing much better in recent years.
Therefore, agriculture, in particular, vegetable growing, is the leading driver of mahali's development. We allocated land to the population, and organized a dehkan farm for 64 poor families. The lands returned to the district reserve land fund were leased through auctions to poor families for farming and were legally registered. They were also given loans to continue their activities.
One of our serious problems is the lack of water for agriculture. Residents use only artesian well water, but this is not always possible. There are problems with the supply of sewage from the river to our territory, as the existing channels have already fallen into disrepair. We made a number of proposals to the khokim of the district to repair the failed canals, and also, in coordination with the farms and with the help of the khokimiyat, repaired the canals by hashar. In addition, there are problems with drinking water. According to our calculations, drinking water does not reach 130 mahalla households.
— Based on your experience, what are the main causes and factors of poverty in your mahalla? What else do you think needs to be done to reduce poverty among the population more effectively?
— Our Kitab district is a mountainous region. One of the main factors of poverty is the lack of permanent, formal jobs. There are not many large factories in the area. There are many private business entities, but they cannot provide full employment for the population. Despite this, we try to keep the population busy with work. And for this we use various financial assistance tools.
If large factories and plants are built in our region, then there will be almost no poor strata of the population. Because a person who has a permanent job and is officially active will quickly get out of poverty.
— Are there any major entrepreneurs in the mahalla? Are they involved in the economic and social development of the mahalla?
— There are not many large entrepreneurs in the district. Most of them are engaged in business activities in other regions. Entrepreneurs in our region provide valuable assistance in business, mainly through hasharah, improving the infrastructure of the mahalla and providing sponsorship to poor families. But despite this, we are working on the development of small business in the mahalla.
— What is being done in the mahalla to support citizens working abroad and encourage them to return to their homeland?
— A separate inventory was also conducted on the issue of labor migration, according to which 155 citizens are engaged in labor activities abroad. A plan has been developed to return them to their country. To date, 57 labor migrants have been returned to their homeland. In particular, citizens working in Russia were contacted by phone. We brought back citizens whose incomes abroad were low and provided them with jobs here. For example, 8 citizens were provided with conditions for setting up a family business. Some citizens were given a loan for the development of animal husbandry. The rest of the citizens were sent to mono-centers for training and acquiring professional skills based on their interests. As a result, they were given jobs with a higher income than in previous jobs abroad.
— In 2023, the mahalla rating was introduced, the practice of individual programs was established, the number of active mahalla members was increased from 5 to 7. How did all this affect your work, has your work efficiency increased?
— The role of this decision in increasing the effectiveness of the mahalla activists was certainly great. Due to the fact that the tasks of those responsible have become clearer, we have managed to achieve better results. When residents of the mahalla come to us with their problems, they are immediately assigned to the appropriate employee, which leads to a solution to the problem on the spot. For example, in the case of child benefits, if earlier hokim's assistants spent a lot of time and effort, now this process has been transferred to an online form, resulting in increased efficiency and speed of work.
— Based on your practical experience as an assistant to the khokim, what suggestions can you give for further improving the activities of assistant khokims in Uzbekistan and improving their work efficiency?
— Since I am closely familiar with the results of credit transactions of the population, I understand this matter well. In recent years, the procedure for obtaining loans and subsidies for the development of entrepreneurship and lifting the population out of poverty has become much easier than before, and it is now possible to apply for and receive funds online.
However, based on my experience, I can say that there are still problems with loans. Residents want to receive loans in cash. The issue of interest rates on loans also remains relevant, as they are quite high. Due to high interest rates on loans, low-income families have difficulty both paying interest on the loan and providing income for the family. This makes it difficult for households to move out of the poor category. Given these problems, in my opinion, it would be advisable to introduce interest-free loans or preferential loans for the poor.
— What priorities have been identified for the development of the mahalla next year? What plans do you have in this direction?
— All our plans are focused on improving the welfare of the mahalla. Since agriculture is our main priority, the proposals also relate to this guideline. We came up with a proposal to transfer unused and empty land plots to the reserve and provide them to the population for farming. If land is allocated from the reserve, then next year we plan to create 20 subjects of dehkan farms.
There are 4 large processing plants in the region where the mahalla is located, but their activities were stopped several years ago for various reasons. With the support of authorized state bodies and organizations, the necessary credit funds were allocated to restore their functioning, provided that the residents of the mahalla were provided with work. The work of two of them is going to be restored in the near future. These large enterprises can provide employment for about 50-60 residents of the mahalla. It is expected that in the near future, the labor activity of these plants will be fully restored.
As for micro-projects, we implement at least 10-20 micro-projects per year. For example, 30 micro-projects were launched in 2024. Two more micro-projects are under implementation, which should be completed by the end of the year. Each micro-project creates 4-5 new jobs. In short, we need to make good use of every opportunity. This is the only way we can achieve our goals!
Jamoliddin Turdimov, CERR
"Economic Review" Journal №12/2024
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