In 2019, under the slogan “New elections in New Uzbekistan”, the People’s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan presented an election program covering several important initiatives in the elections to the parliament and local councils. Five years have passed, and here we are at the threshold for the next election.

At such a time, it is natural to ask how many of the priority goals set in the party program are proving to be viable. Voters and the public expect a clear answer to this question. It should be noted that the People’s Democratic Party, aware of this responsibility, is working steadily towards achieving practical results.

A solid social policy is the foundation of a social state, a stable society, and a basis for a prosperous life. Based on this, the People’s Democratic Party proposed several priority directions as the primary goal of the Electoral Program “to define the mechanisms for the effective implementation of the state’s social obligations and to establish a democratic social state” defined in the new Constitution.

The party believes that the state should conduct a strong social policy to fully ensure the interests of the population. The program emphasizes that several issues should be addressed in this direction.

• improvement of the living conditions of needy segments of the population;
• determination of the minimum consumption costs sufficient for the primary life needs of every person at the legal level, that is, adoption of the Law on the Procedure for Determining the Minimum Consumption Costs;
• ensuring citizens’ employment, protection from unemployment, measures to reduce poverty, and comprehensive support and care for families, children, women, older people, and persons with disabilities.

It’s no secret that problems such as the lack of clear criteria for setting allowances for low-income families and the lack of allocated funds compared to real needs have been preventing the achievement of social justice for years. Frankly, until now, there has been no concrete answer to the urgent question of which family should receive a pension on what basis. We all know that several misunderstandings have arisen in delivering the funds allocated from the state budget to needy citizens.

Today, the situation has completely changed. A completely new system was created for matters related to social protection. In particular, the grounds for setting allowances for families have been clarified. The system defined the task of strict adherence to the principles of openness, equality, and justice.

Uzbekistan is a social state

Uzbekistan was declared a social state for the first time in our renewed Constitution adopted last year. Attention and care to the person – the most important duty of the state and society – have been strengthened at the constitutional norm level. Norms related to the obligations of the state in the social sphere have increased almost threefold. In particular, several obligations related to ensuring employment, protecting against unemployment, reducing poverty, and everyone’s right to housing were introduced.

Databases have been formed to provide more targeted support to the segments of the population in need of social protection. Starting in 2021, a registration mechanism was introduced by including the low-income segments of the population in the “unified register of social protection”. This allowed low-income families to automatically receive the social assistance they were entitled to without bureaucratic procedures.

Of course, every reform and new change affects the lives of thousands and millions of people. Updates in the social sphere today are compatible with the ideas of the People’s Democratic Party. The fate of issues related to the interests of our electorate will be decided in the regions. From this point of view, it should not be forgotten that accountability of local officials to the body of deputies and strengthening of public control by local representative bodies is essential in ensuring the implementation of laws, decisions, and state programs.

Laziza SHEROVA,

“O‘zbekiston Ovozi” (“Voice of Uzbekistan”) Correspondent.

“O‘zbekiston Ovozi”, 17.07.2023, No. 28