On September 17, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting in Uychi district on the measures of socio-economic development of Namangan region.
It was mentioned that significant results were achieved in the region, that are reflected in the growth of the economy and welfare level of the population. In the past eight years $7 billion of foreign investments have been attracted to the region, almost 8 thousand new enterprises have been established. The variety of exported products has doubled and exceeded a thousand items.
Today 82 percent of the working-age population is employed in the sphere of small business and entrepreneurship. The average real revenue per capita had increased threefold. Most importantly, the residents of Namangan feel the positive changes in their everyday lives.
An analysis of opportunities on securing the pace reached and further increasing the effectiveness was conducted at the meeting. Particularly, a task was set to attract $4,2 billion investments, ensure employment of 323 thousand people and lift out of poverty 26 thousand families by the end of the year.
The Head of State proposed an important initiative on mahalla improvements. In its framework a program “A place for development and leadership” is being launched. It will cover 4 districts in Ferghana, Samarkand and Tashkent regions, 2 districts in other regions, as well as 328 most problematic mahallas countrywide.
In a short time the poverty level in Namangan reduced by 2,5 times. Thanks to the growth of entrepreneurial activity and increasing the average wage, 62 thousand migrants returned to the region in the past two years.
The reform headquarters was instructed to develop a master plan on picturesque zones of the region. The implementation of relevant projects will allow to create 50 thousand new jobs and income sources in the future. It’s possible to develop 650 service facilities and ensure employment of 10 thousand people along the 40 kilometers of rivers and canals passing through Pap, Turakurgan, Uychi, Uchkurgan and Chust.
Today a quarter of industry and half of export of the region is textile sector. Namangan entrepreneurs are leaders in the republic on working with brands. To expand investments and cooperation with international brands in the sector, a separate project office will open within a month. The number of textile enterprises with international certification will reach 50.
The responsible persons were instructed to organize trade houses with an area of no less than 1 thousand square meters in Warsaw and London by the end of the year. Overall, the export of textile products from Namangan will reach $500 million this year, and in the next two years it’s planned to launch 25 major projects worth $1 billion.
From the beginning of the year the region was visited by 1,2 million foreign and 2 million domestic tourists, the revenue from tourism exceeded $200 million.
At the same time it was emphasized that the potential of one of the most attractive districts of the region – Chartak, isn’t utilized fully. Basic services are absent here: online informing, booking system, cultural and leisure services. This is why Chartak will be transformed to a year-round tourism hub of the valley, $50 million will be allocated for its infrastructure development.
This year “Furkat” park will be reconstructed and expanded almost twofold in cooperation with the World Bank within the framework of medium-size cities development. Along the Chartaksay river 11-kilometer walking and cycling paths will be developed.
As part of a comprehensive development program, 7 kilometers of the banks of the Chartaksay and Big Namangan canal will be concreted, and 30 hectares of usable land will be created. Here, in harmony with the long-standing gardens, large health resort facilities will appear.
A tourist complex with hotels, restaurants, and recreation areas will be built around the “Chartak” reservoir. In the Pap district, a large-scale tourist center designed to accommodate up to 1 million tourists per year will be created on an area of 1,2 thousand hectares around Arashan lake.
To train personnel in the field of tourism, a joint faculty will be established at Namangan State University in collaboration with the University of Krems (Austria) starting next academic year.
The President paid special attention to issues of social infrastructure development.
For a long time, the roads connecting the Uychi, Uchkurgan and Naryn districts with the regional center remained congested. Now, at a cost of 63 billion soums, a new 480-meter bridge is being built across the Naryn River. In addition, reconstruction has begun on the old 180-meter bridge across the Karadarya river, built 63 years ago, connecting Namangan and Andijan regions. Once the work is completed, the bridge’s capacity will double and travel time will be reduced by 1,5 times.
The “Pungan-Namangan” highway connecting the regional center with the capital will also be reconstructed. Up to 15 thousand vehicles travel on this road every day. The length of the section to be reconstructed will be 75 km, and the road will be widened to four lanes with concrete pavement. The cost of the project is $246 million.
Water supply issues remain unresolved in the region: 30 mahallas are not connected to the centralized system, and 21 percent of the networks are in need of repair. There are also many complaints about sewage. This year, 800 billion soums have been allocated to improve the water management system. By the end of the year, the construction of 130 kilometers of water supply and sewage networks and 11 hydraulic structures is to be completed.
The “Kurashkhon” water management facility, which supplies Namangan with drinking water, was built 70 years ago and is currently operating at less than half its capacity. It will be renovated in cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Namangan will soon become a city with a population of over one million, which requires the expansion of the network of preschool institutions. Entrepreneurs were previously announced benefits in this area.
Taking advantage of these opportunities, 5 thousand new places in kindergartens need to be created in Namangan this year, and 15 thousand next year. International standards and dual education will be introduced in 49 technical colleges in the region.
Over the past three months, nearly 3 thousand people in need have received care services as part of the “Step to active life” program, resulting in 350 people finding employment. The National agency for social protection has also been tasked with introducing similar services for people suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
– Today, together with you, we have set new goals for the development of cities and regions and the improvement of living conditions for the population. If we work jointly, we will achieve even greater results. Together with the enterprising, hard-working and entrepreneurial people of Namangan, we will turn the region into one of the most well-developed and prosperous regions of our country, – emphasized Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Following the meeting, reports from regional and industry leaders were heard, and an exchange of views took place with entrepreneurs and representatives of the public.