22.09.2020

On September 22, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a video session with officials to discuss the implementation of digital economy and e-government in industries and regions.

Today, digital technologies are speedily becoming part of all walks of human life. Indeed, nations who have embarked on digital development in time make progress.

2020 was declared in Uzbekistan as the Year of Science, Enlightenment and Digital Economy, and extensive work has begun on this front. In particular, the President signed a resolution on April 28 defining measures for the extensive introduction of digital economy and electronic government.

At today’s video conference meeting, its participants deliberated on the efforts undertaken in this direction, along with projects scheduled for implementation in the current year and in the first quarter of 2021.

“The heads of regions and industries are to realize that without digitalization there will be no result, nor development. Executives of all levels should take this issue as their daily task, deeply study digitalization from its fundamentals,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev insisted.

It was emphasized that by the end of this year, executives of every industry and region must secure a radical turn in the extent digital economy is applied in their areas. People should feel these changes, the President said, especially when it comes to the reduction in bureaucracy and corruption, higher speed in the provision of public services.

Earlier on, the head of state had noted several times the need to digitize, first of all, those spheres that deal with people face to face, and hence make life easier for citizens. Building on that directive, task forces have prepared 530 region-based and 280 sector-based projects.

In particular, 239 schemes are to be implemented towards the digitalization of healthcare, cadastre, social protection, agriculture, education in 14 districts by the end of this year and in 14 more districts in the first quarter of next year.

Thus, introduction of the Electronic Polyclinic system will help cut paperwork in medical institutions by 40 percent and the waiting time in queues by 60 percent. For this, Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted, it is crucial to fully digitize central hospitals and polyclinics.

Currently, online medical records, information systems for hospitals and ambulances are being introduced in the city of Tashkent. These software solutions, it was reported at the meeting, are due to be launched next year in Andijan, Namangan, Ferghana, Jizzakh, Syrdarya, Surkhandarya and Khorezm regions. The President urged the officials to introduce, in all regions, the systems Electronic School Diary, Electronic Textbook, Teachers’ Electronic Assessment.

The Ministry for Information Technologies and Communications was instructed to fully digitalize social institutions in 14 districts, and thus shape a model for the rest.

Digitalization brings saving and efficiency to industries. For example, owing to the introduction of a system for monitoring the load of trucks at gravel pits in Tailak and Akdarya districts, monthly revenues have grown from 3 to 8 billion soums.

The State Tax Committee has been tasked with combating the shadow economy in the operation of open pits, including through the introduction of electronic oversight systems for excavation, workload and equipment movement.

Special attention at the video meeting was paid to projects in diverse industries.

“The national economy has no future without digital economy,” the President said.

Thus, as it was reported, over the next three years, 18 digitalization projects are to be realized in hydrocarbon and energy sectors, 12 schemes are due in metallurgy, 9 are planned in the automotive sector, 8 – in the chemical industry, 4 – in mining and geology.

For example, thanks to the introduction of an automated dispatching service at oil and gas enterprises – the Mubarek plant and the Shurtan complex – it became possible to save 50 million cubic meters of gas and 650 thousand kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. The Asaka automobile factory could save $ 41 million through digitalization of logistics, procurement, transportation of raw materials and components. Among such promising projects is the introduction of an automated control system for the transport complex at the Yoshlik-1 and Kalmakyr fields of the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex. This is said to help save 28 billion soums a year.

The President identified those responsible for projects and gave instructions on their timely and high-quality implementation, including the allocation of funds drawn from international financial institutions.

The Prime Minister and his deputies were urged to elaborate plans within ten days for the digitalization – by the end of this year and separately for the next year – of the spheres and industries they supervise.

The application and effective operation of the digital economy depends on state-of-the-art specialists. Therefore, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev attaches great importance to training. Last year, the Park of Software Products and Information Technologies was launched in Tashkent. Its branches have been opened in Andijan and Marghilan. Another branch is being set up at the Muhammad al-Khorezmi School of Information Technologies in Tashkent. A total of 205 schools with in-depth study of information technologies are projected to be opened in Karakalpakstan and other regions.

The Ministry of Public Education and the Ministry for Information Technologies and Communications have been instructed to establish 14 specialized IT schools this year and another 82 next year.

The head of our state noted the significance of introducing a national system of training and certification of information technology teachers on the premises of the Tashkent University of Information Technologies and IT parks. Teachers who receive a qualification certificate will be paid a 50 percent salary increase. Bonuses are to be established for school teachers whose students have successfully completed the One Million Programmers course.

“The issue on the agenda today is critical for our work towards national development and improvement in the life of our people,” the President suggested. “All leaders of regions and industries should realize this, change their outlook and resolutely further the tasks set.”

The Prime Minister was instructed to monitor the implementation of the outlined measures in the context of industries and regions.

Hokims briefed the President on how technically the digitalization projects will make life easier for everyone.