He will be engaged in the implementation of the "School of Akims" project, the digitalization of management processes, and supporting the akims of districts and rural areas in the execution of economic development programs. The speaker of the Mazhilis, chairman of the AMANAT party, Erlan Koshanov, was introduced to the center's work. The event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbaev.
As is known, the head of state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, emphasized during a recent expanded government meeting that the introduction of direct elections for akims has led to the emergence of a new category of civil servants – elected managers. Among them is a significant number of teachers, doctors, and others who lack experience in public service. Therefore, the president instructed the launch of the training project "School of Akims," taking into account the experience gained by the AMANAT party.
"Direct elections of akims are one of the key reforms of the president, a significant step towards the further democratization of the country. Society, together with the elected akims, is beginning to actively engage in addressing existing problems. The overwhelming majority of those who won the elections are representatives of our party. Their task now is to justify the trust of the voters. At the instruction of the head of state, the party, together with the government, will train the elected akims in new competencies, working with laws and budgets. All of this will assist them in their daily work to improve the quality of life for people," said Erlan Koshanov.
The speaker of the Mazhilis added that the comprehensive development of rural areas is a priority of the head of state's policy. Therefore, last year the AMANAT party held forums for newly elected rural akims in all regions of the country. These events were attended by regional akims and allowed for the first results of the work of the elected leaders to be summarized. Proposals were prepared to expand the powers of rural akims, including increasing their budgets. In particular, now the rural akim will manage issues related to street trade and the arrangement of public spaces, and taxes on property, land, and transport from individuals and legal entities will now be transferred to the rural budget.
0In turn, Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbaev, who heads the government's Project Office for Regional Policy, emphasized that systemic measures will be taken by government agencies to enhance the independence of rural akims. Through digitalization, they will gain access to unified information systems that will allow them to see complete statistical information about residents, livestock, the condition of personal subsidiary farms, and other parameters. It is important for akims to have a sufficient number of financial instruments, as this will enable them to achieve the desired results, believes the Deputy Prime Minister.
The "School of Akims" project, initiated by the AMANAT party and implemented by the government in collaboration with the Agency for Civil Service Affairs, will cover more than 2,400 akims of districts and rural areas. The training course will include, among other things, the study and practical application of methodologies for developing economic programs for rural areas. Akims will be taught to identify the economic specialization of their village and to build a direct chain from production to product certification and sales.
1The executive director of the "Debt-Free Society" project, Olzhas Ordaev, shared the results of the work to improve the financial literacy of Kazakhstanis and plans for the near future. Over the past two years, a total of 840,000 people have undergone training, and 70,000 of them received legal assistance. Now, to expand the project, in addition to in-person training, courses will also be available online. Furthermore, legal consultations can now be obtained without mandatory training, and for the convenience of residents, a call center for the "Debt-Free Society" project will be opened.
By the end of May, the government's Project Office for Regional Policy, in collaboration with the AMANAT party, will develop economic development programs for all rural areas of the country and will assist rural akims in the implementation of their programs. The center will also address issues related to the certification of products grown by personal subsidiary farms and their sale through organized purchases and trade networks.
2