Tazeen Akhtar
The largest economy of Central Asia, the biggest land locked country in the World, The gateway of Asia towards Europe, The Republic of Kazakhstan is all set to achieve the goals of securing its position in the first 30 economies of the World in the year 2050. The Republic is determined to further improve the standard of lives of its citizens by increasing funds for Education, Health, Housing Facilities, Poverty Alleviation and Development Sectors. A new government, with clear directions from the leader, The President Nazarbayev, has assumed the responsibility to accomplish the task that previous government failed to achieve and it had to resign.
Two days ago, the Nur Otan Party held its 18th Party Assembly, where its leader, the President Nursultan Nazarbayev loudly articulated the new socio-economic initiatives, which are supposed to raise visibly living standards of the nation.
Former vice Prime Minister Askar Mamin is the head of new cabinet that is considered a vibrant, dynamic, energetic and highly professional person in the party circles. His team is said to be mostly consisted of technocrats who carry vast experience in their respective fields. The new government has a time frame of 3 years to prove itself equal to the task given.
Ambassador of Republic of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, Barlybay Sadykov briefed press and media on the change of government in his country and the reason behind it. He apprised the journalists about the system of government and powers of the President for keeping check and balance on the performance of the government in the interest of the nation.
Kazakhstan is a country, run by a strong presidential rule. According to the Constitution, the President is a Head of the state. There is presidential form of governance and President has powers to form and dissolve Government and Parliament.
Right now the ruling party of Kazakhstan is a President-led party of Nur Otan, which was set up in 1999 and since then has been dominating in Kazakhstan’s politics. This year the party is celebrating the 20th anniversary since its appearance. From the very beginning the party is chaired by the President Nazarbayev and is committed to implement his political and economic line.For this reasons whatever President says on foreign or domestic policy is of crucial importance for the nation.
In 27 years poverty has been reduced from 46, 7% in 1992 to 2,7% in 2017; Literacy rate is 99.7 %. and it is one of the highest in the world; life expectancy increased and reached 77 years; country is among 10 biggest oil suppliers in the world and number one in the world in uranium production and export; Kazakhstan attracted more than 300 billion USD of FDI and is on 28th place among 193 countries in the “Doing Business” rating of the World Bank this year.
As a result of successful economic development Kazakhstan now has set ambitious goal to join by 2050 to the group of 30 most developed economies of the world.
Kazakhstan achieved tremendous successes in socio-economic development. But still there are some spheres which can be more effectively managed and better results achieved. According to the President, state programmes in education, healthcare, infrastructure, industry and social development were adopted and supported with the necessary resources for implementation but previous Government failed to create jobs in rural areas, raise incomes and small and medium-sized business growth and reach socially vulnerable groups by targeted social assistance.
For this reason the President’s speech at the Assembly was mainly about improving tangibly socio-economic environment across the whole country.
These massive economic targets will be implemented by the new Government, whose members were endorsed by the President on the eve of the Party Assembly.
The new government “should take effective steps in improving living standards, stimulating the economy and implementing strategic objectives,” said Nazarbayev. Funds from the state budget and National Fund will be allocated toward improving regional development policy, social welfare for citizens of low socioeconomic status and housing options for socially vulnerable groups.
This newly-established Government now is tasked to pay principal attention upon addressing economic and social concerns of people of Kazakhstan, who are to feel outcomes of that policy very soon.
Right now the major social concerns of people in Kazakhstan are about raising budgetary allowances for socially most vulnerable segments of the society, lack of accessible housing for people, modernization of much needed social infrastructure etc.
For addressing these concerns the President stressed the need to tackle them in following ways;
First, ensuring conditions for low-income families to raise their revenues and providing them with a governmental social support;
Second, resolving a problem of providing housing and accommodation for low-income parts of the population, improving visibly quality of education and health care;
Third, ensuring even degree of development of provinces.
For putting these three policy directions in practice the President Nursultan Nazarbayev charged the Party and the Government with concrete instructions to be accomplished by them in due time within respective budgetary limits.
This is to say that since July 1 of 2019
A salary of low-income employees, who are get paid from the national budget, will be raised up to 30%.
Low-level employees in regional governmental offices will be paid more. Their salaries are expected to be raised in average up to 25%.
For these expenses the national budget will allocate through 2019-2021 around to 2,5 billion US dollars.
At present in Kazakhstan there are about 340 thousand families with more than 4 kids per each. All these families have different level of income. For this reason more than 111 thousand families (571,7 thousand people) get a targeted social assistance from Government.
Yesterday the President tasked the Government to raise the volume of that assistance up to 55 USD per kid. It means that this year almost 550 thousand children in Kazakhstan will be covered by that new financial assistance blueprint.
At the same time financial allowance to parents, who care for their crippled or disabled kids, will be raised up to 30%. This will cover more than 100 000 people. For that purpose the Government will allocate almost 800 mln. USD.
For the second policy direction the Government is instructed to construct more than 40 thousand renting apartments for low-income families.
Education is to be another major concern of the Party and the Government. For this purpose every province of Kazakhstan should have at least one advanced-level university and 10 modern colleges.
The healthcare system of the country will be funded since now much better. For that purpose the Government is allocate additionally more than 300 mln. USD
Third policy direction needs providing even level of development, as every province of Kazakhstan is equally important. For making this the President stated that Kazakhstan needs a new country map, based upon updated regional standards of life quality.
Development of the regions will also be additionally funded by the Government. These funds will be used for constructing and modernizing new roads, linking the regions, railway and highways infrastructure, gasification and access to potable water, electrification
In general the President Nazarbayev outlined new massive tasks in front of the Nur Otan Party and the Government. The only goal of these tasks is to ensure full implementation of national developmental programs with zero tolerance to corruption, incompetence and excessive bureaucratization of process.
Socio-economic problems and challenges, which encounter modern-day Kazakhstan, are the main objectives of new Programme of the Party and the Government and will be met in comprehensive way.
All financial resources for the Programme will be funded from National Fund which accumulated some 80 bln. US dollars.
Main priority – to increase the level of wellbeing of the people and development of Kazakhstan as socially oriented state. Economic development should be oriented first of all on increasing living standards of the people. This is policy and programme of the ruling party Nur Otan and the Government of Kazakahstan.
– The writer is Editor of a newspaper in Islamabad and can be reached @ tazeen303@gmail.com
