The inaugural meeting of the Project Office for Regional Policy was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbaev, as reported by the government press service.
The Project Office was established to enhance regional policy and ensure balanced social and economic development across regions. During the first meeting, participants discussed measures for implementing new approaches to regional development, with a particular focus on unlocking their potential.
“It is essential to fully utilize the potential of the regions, prioritizing funding for those with the most significant infrastructure challenges. There should be sufficient autonomy in project financing, particularly in terms of achieving end results. Additionally, regions should be rewarded for exceeding tax revenue targets,” stated Kanat Bozumbaev.
Furthermore, the meeting participants discussed measures to eliminate disparities in regional development, the creation of new strategic documents, and the issues related to the insufficient autonomy of district and rural akims in local decision-making. To foster local self-governance, the Amanat party deputies proposed launching a "School of Akims" project in collaboration with the Agency for Civil Service Affairs.
“For effective implementation and quality selection of villages where projects will be executed, regional akimats, along with the subgroup on local self-governance development, must conduct a screening to determine the specialization of each village and develop specific plans for necessary infrastructure construction and assistance in product realization,” Kanat Bozumbaev instructed.
The Deputy Prime Minister issued directives to improve legislation in the field of local self-governance.
“There is a weak inter-agency coordination among state bodies. This practice must be eradicated. Coordinated implementation of regional and sectoral policies is necessary. The execution of budget programs and investment plans should occur synchronously,” concluded Kanat Bozumbaev.
Government agencies have been instructed to conduct a review of departmental regulatory legal acts regarding all proposed measures for implementing the developed regional policy enhancement measures within a month.