13.03.2023

A special session of the Regional Kengash (Council) of people’s deputies was held in Termez city.

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the event.

The Uzbek Leader has expressed his respect for the residents of the region and noted that the region is achieving high results in various fields and industries.

“I am gratified to see you on this beautiful spring day, on the eve of big holidays. Today we have to consider the appointment of the khokim (governor) of the region and set ourselves new tasks. The goal is to increase the effectiveness and level of reforms, outline large-scale guidelines and corresponding actions, get closer to people and make them happy”, the President has said.

The current state of development of the region was considered at the session. Over the past five years, more than 15 thousand enterprises of industry, agriculture and the service sector have started their activities here. The new micro-hydropower plants “Zarchob-1” and “Zarchob-2” have begun producing 201 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

In addition, 257 schools have been built and reconstructed, and the coverage of preschool education has increased from 18 to 62 %. For the first time, 302,000 people received access to the centralized drinking water supply. Over a thousand kilometers of international roads and 3,000 kilometers of internal routes have been repaired.

“Surkhandarya Region will further develop and grow if we continue working hard and diligently serve our people”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev has said.

An organizational issue was considered at the session. The President recommended Ulugbek Kosimov for the post of khokim of Surkhandarya Region.

Ulugbek Kosimov was born in 1983 in Surkhandarya region. Until 2018, he worked as the khokim of Muzrabat and Denau districts of the region. During the period of 2018-2022 – the Prosecutor of Surkhandarya and Fergana regions, the city of Tashkent.

Since December last year, he has been fulfilling the duties of a khokim of Surkhandarya Region.

The President suggested listening to the candidate’s plans before discussing the candidacy. Ulugbek Kosimov presented his vision regarding the development of entrepreneurship, industry, agriculture in the region, and the creation of decent living conditions for the population.

The President approved these proposals and gave relevant instructions to the responsible officials.

The main task was to ensure the employment of the population and increase its income. It was noted that through the introduction of the family business and home-based work in makhallas, more than 60 thousand people can be provided with jobs, by creating new economic entities – 4 thousand people, by training the unemployed in modern professions – 20 thousand people.

The climate of Surkhandarya is very favorable for agriculture, the products ripen early. Over the past five years, the areas of the main fruit and vegetable crops in the region have increased by 2.5 times. This year, another 8.5 thousand hectares are allocated to the population. In this regard, the task was set to create conditions for farmers, improve water supply, double the volume of food production and increase exports to $250 million.

Over the past five years, 30 trillion Uzbek soums of investments have been attracted to the industry of the region, more than 5 thousand enterprises have been created. Production tripled, and industrial exports reached $132 million. Such new industries as the production of building materials, leather and footwear products and electrical engineering have appeared in Surkhandarya Region.

At the same time, there are many untapped resources and opportunities in the region. It was defined that 292 industrial projects will be launched this year. Therefore, 10,000 new jobs will be created. The instructions were given to replace industrial imports for $50 million and increase exports to at least $250 million.

Energy issues were also discussed at the meeting. This year alone, 350 million kilowatt-hours of electricity will be produced at Tupalang HPP and 3 new small and micro HPPs in Sariasiya district. A large solar power plant with a capacity of 457 megawatts will be launched in Sherabad district. The plans have also been announced for the installation of low-power solar panels.

It was decided to allocate 465 billion Uzbek soums to solve social problems in Surkhandarya Region in addition to 1.5 trillion Uzbek soums provided by state programs for the current year. The instruction was also given to attract an additional $328 million to the agro-industrial complex, drinking water supply projects and entrepreneurship.

The goal was set to provide 325 thousand people with sources of income and turn Surkhandarya Region into a region free from poverty and unemployment.

Following the presentation, the deputies of the Regional Kengash discussed the candidate’s action program. The organizational issue was put to the vote. According to its results, Ulugbek Kosimov was approved as the khokim of Surkhandarya Region.

The President of Uzbekistan noted that the plans voiced at the session should be implemented, the responsible agencies, together with the new khokim of the region, should conscientiously serve the people.