Assistants to the hokims are among people ("Dostlik" mahalla)

Bugun, 13:58
8

The "Economic Review" journal continues to cover issues related to the implementation of the “mahallabay” system. We present to our readers an interview with Alima Isakova, hokim’s assistant for Nukus city, Republic of Karakalpakstan, in the "Dostlik" mahalla.

– Could you briefly tell us about your professional background and how you came to this position? What did you do before? What skills help you effectively perform your tasks?

– I have been working in the “Dostlik” mahalla of Nukus city since January 2022. At that time, I began my work by getting acquainted with the residents of the mahalla, studying their family circumstances, economic situation, and interests. Before that, I worked in the mahalla department of the hokimiyat of Nukus city, and my activities were related to handling the appeals of mahalla residents. During that time, I gained significant experience in this field. Therefore, working as a mahalla assistant became much easier.

– Could you describe in detail the location of the mahalla, its infrastructure (roads, school, kindergarten, clinic, industrial enterprises), and the employment opportunities for the population?

– The mahalla is located in the center of Nukus city. Within its territory, there is one secondary school and five family and private kindergartens. The government pays special attention to the socio-economic development of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, including Nukus, and allocates significant funds for this purpose. Thanks to this, our mahalla is fully provided with natural gas, clean drinking water, and electricity.

Our mahalla also has a large industrial enterprise where a significant portion of the population is employed. The service sector and small business play an important role in ensuring people’s employment. Part of the mahalla’s residents work in these areas. In the first six months of 2025, 38 unemployed citizens were employed, reducing the number of unemployed in our mahalla to 63.

– What was the most difficult thing at the beginning of your journey, and how did you overcome it?

– Of course, any job has its challenges. But to overcome them, it is enough to accept the work as your “own,” and that is sufficient. Since the work of hokim’s assistants is organized systematically, with all processes carried out transparently and orderly, starting the job was not particularly difficult.

– What is the main economic driver of growth in the mahalla? Why were these areas chosen? What is being done to accelerate their development?

– Trade and services were chosen as the main drivers of development in our mahalla. This is due to the fact that our mahalla is located in the city center and borders four other large mahallas. The majority of the population is engaged in trade and services. Therefore, the task was set to accelerate the development of these entrepreneurial areas. In particular, our mahalla has kindergartens, tailoring workshops, and small service points that provide car repair services, among others.

– What opportunities exist for the development of entrepreneurship in the mahalla? Could you provide detailed information about the activities carried out to support entrepreneurship during your tenure as hokim’s assistant? How many new enterprises have been created, and how many individual entrepreneurs have been employed during this time?

– In our country, many opportunities have been created to develop entrepreneurship at the mahalla level, including in our mahalla. One such opportunity is the provision of loans under the simplified program “Every Family – Entrepreneur” to start business activities.

Thanks to this program, a workshop for the production of plastic frames, a workshop for blinds, and a confectionery shop are operating. Entrepreneurship is also developing in home-based confectionery and tailoring. As a result, new jobs have been created, and the number of self-employed citizens has increased. Between 2022 and 2025, about 100 enterprises and individual entrepreneurs have been created and are successfully operating in our mahalla.

– What new economic opportunities were identified as a result of the “household-by-household” (xonadonbay) study?

– As a result of household surveys, it was revealed that production is an additional driver of development in our mahalla. Based on this, we sought to establish the activities of small enterprises — production workshops within the mahalla. For example, residents are constantly carrying out repair work in their homes. This creates demand for construction materials and services. To meet this demand, a workshop for the production of plastic frames was opened in the mahalla.

In addition, after studying internal opportunities, new jobs were created through self-employment. For example, several citizens were assisted in opening small retail outlets. Work was also carried out to improve the mahalla. In particular, 200 seedlings of fruit and decorative plants were planted in the mahalla.