"Leaders who do not understand the current policy will definitely leave" — Mirziyoyev

"Leaders who do not understand the current policy will definitely leave" — Mirziyoyev

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, at a meeting on September 9, warned regional and national-level leaders that work on poverty reduction must not be limited to headquarters meetings and reporting.

As the head of state noted, under the new poverty reduction system, special headquarters have been established in all regions and districts. To coordinate their activities, 28 national-level leaders from the economic sector have been assigned to the territories.

At the same time, the president criticized the practice where officials dispatched from Tashkent consider it sufficient to remain in the khokimiyat (local administration) building and control the headquarters' work from there.

"But some leaders still have not understood where to start work on the ground and how to work with each specific family. Leaders who arrived from the republic think: if I sit in the headquarters in the khokimiyat building, I will have every situation under control. This is a completely wrong approach," Shavkat Mirziyoyev said in a report by the "Uzbekistan 24" TV channel.

According to him, representatives of national bodies from Tashkent must visit the mahallas (neighborhoods) themselves, study the real situation, and show district khokims how to organize the work.

"I want to warn you once again. If a leader does not go down to the mahalla, does not see the real situation with their own eyes, does not lead the work of the 'mahalla seven' themselves, and does not show who should be doing what, the work will not progress," the president stated.

Mirziyoyev emphasized that this requirement applies to all leaders, regardless of their position and length of service. "Leaders who do not understand the current policy will definitely leave their jobs," he said.

The president also stated that khokims must have a different understanding of lifting a family out of the needy category.

"Khokims must understand lifting families out of the needy category solely and exclusively as the implementation of projects that create jobs and increase incomes, as well as the creation of infrastructure and conditions," Mirziyoyev said.

He drew particular attention to the need to work with entrepreneurs. According to the head of state, even if one entrepreneur creates just two jobs a month, overall this can yield a significant result.

"We need to help the entrepreneur, we need to meet with the entrepreneur. If one entrepreneur creates two jobs a month, that will also be a great result," the president noted.

According to him, in November, a separate survey based on World Bank methodology is planned to be conducted in all districts of the country, which should determine the status of families based on their income levels.

"For us, this will be a kind of test: it will become clear which category each family belongs to in terms of income level. Based on this, in December we will summarize the results and give a fair assessment of what changes the khokims of regions, districts, and cities, as well as the 28 leaders assigned to the territories from the republic, were able to ensure over the three months," the head of state said.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that lifting a family out of the needy category should mean not a formal exclusion from the social register, but the emergence of a sustainable source of income — through employment, an entrepreneurial project, and the creation of the necessary infrastructure.

"The analysis of the last two or three days shows: if we look deeply, every district, every kishlak (village), every mahalla has both opportunities and potential," Mirziyoyev said.