GOVERNMENT. Weekly Review. Kazakhstan's International Reserves increase while external debts decline
resources during the autumn-winter season. Last week akim of Priozersk town of Karaganda region and mayor of Semey city of East Kazakhstan region where boiler room accidents took place were relieved of their duties.
The ministries and departments of the country continue to sum up results of 2010. On Monday, January 17, at the session of the board of the Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs the President charged the Ministry to give special attention to the implementation of the project on merging the investigation services and criminal police in Astana and Almaty region. In the context of further reform of the country's law-enforcement system, the President set a task to study and to develop constructive propositions on application of this scheme used in many countries of the world - the scheme of separation of the functions of the police and investigator.
Later in the day the Kazakh Ministry of Justice held the session of the board as well. Minister R.Tussupbekov reported on the work conducted within the implementation of the President's Decree on reforming the law-enforcement and judicial systems and on reducing administrative barriers for business. After hearing the report K.Massimov noted that the work on this direction should be continued. He urged to pay special attention to the penal system which faced particular problems last year.
A collegium of the Kazakh Agency for Fighting Economic and Corruption Crimes was held on Monday as well. The participants of the session noted that despite the operational investigative activity the financial policy conducted essential work in the field of rulemaking and international cooperation. The tasks set by the President of the country for this year should be explained to every member of the financial police.
Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov visited the facilities of the Asian Games - 2011 on Monday. Later the Premier held a working session on the issues of preparation for the Asian Games. Issues of launch of the Asian Games facilities, technical service, organization of press centers and the preparedness of different services for the Games were addressed there.
On Tuesday, January 18 the Kazakh Government held a session, where the joint statement of the Government, National Bank and Agency for Regulation and Control over Financial Market and Financial Organizations on the key stances of the economic policy for 2011 was adopted. According to the statement, the Government expects the GDP growth at the level of 4-5% in 2011. The economic policy will be directed to competitive growth of economy, implementation of programs aimed at diversification of economy, first of all, the State Program of Forced Industrial-Innovation Program, ensuring stable employment and growth of income of the population, realization of state programs, development of human capital assets, including education, healthcare and languages development. Besides, one of main priorities will be regulation of pricing and ensuring price stability in the domestic market, primarily on the socially important food products. The Government will continue to take measures to improve social welfare of the population and support socially vulnerable citizens. In 2011 further growth of a salary in the public sector and social expenditures is foreseen. Taking into account increase in pension by 30 percent from January 1, 2011its minimum size will amount to KZT 24,047, the average one - KZT 36,205. This year the size of social benefits and payments, wages to public sector workers would rise by 30 percent.
Deputy Chairman of the Kazakhstan National Bank Bissengali Tadzhiyakov stated that the country's international reserves made about USD 59 bln showcasing 24% growth since the start of the year. Net international reserves of the National Bank climbed by 24% up to USD 27.7 bln. Thereat, the country's international reserves, including the foreign currency assets of the National Fund up to USD 30.6 bln, made USD 59 bln. Over 11 months of 2010 external debt of the banks decreased by USD 11.2 bln, or 40 percent. Nowadays indebtness of the banks makes up USD 16.6 bln.
Head of State Nursultan Nazarbayev has taken part in a ceremony of launch of the National satellite broadcast network of DVB-S2 digital standard in Astana on Tuesday.
"Today, due to the launch of the satellite digital TV, all Kazakhstanis will be able to watch the domestic television channels. We have built this network on the basis of the up-to-date DVB-S2 digital television broadcast standards implemented worldwide", Minister of Communications and Information Askar Zhumagaliyev informed at the ceremony.
At the session of the board of the Kazakh Ministry of education and Science held on Wednesday, January 19 Prime Minister Karim Massimov urged Minister Bakytzhan Zhumagulov to elaborate Student Housing program and submit it to the Government. He also charged to tie a program on training and retraining of specialists with the State Program of Forced Industrial-Innovative Development. As the Premier said, it is necessary to link plans on industrial-innovative development to training and retraining of specialists, stressing that Kazakhstani people should feel advantages of the Program of Forced Industrial-Innovative Development. Speaking of the pre-school education development K.Massimov noted that it is necessary to attract private business to this sphere.
The Government also held a session on the cattle breading development issues on Wednesday. First Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak Shukeyev said at the session that President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev backed the project on cattle meet export development, elaborated by "KazAgro" Holding. The project covers almost all regions of Kazakhstan and provides establishment of 2.5 thousand farms where 25-30 thousand people will be employed. The meet will be exported to the Customs Union member state, firstly, to Russia.
At the collegium of the Kazakh Ministry of Healthcare Minister Salidat Kairbekova stated that the Unified National Healthcare System proved its effectiveness. Total expenditures on healthcare in Kazakhstan increased by four times over last 6 years. 'State budget expenditures increased by more than 4 times in 2010 comparing to 2004 and comparing to 2009 more than 20 percent', the Minister added. According to her during the realization of the State Healthcare Reform and Development Program of Kazakhstan for 2005-2010 more than 400 healthcare facilities were built, more than 4 thousand medical institutes were reconstructed, medical equipment amounted to more than KZT 75 bln was purchased. Prime Minister Karim Massimov charged the Ministry to develop such healthcare system in which doctors would obtain benefit in case people are healthy. Besides, K.Massimov instructed to pay more attention to technical equipment of regional hospitals, while in the hospitals of big cities attention should be paid to the issues of personnel.
Good results were achieved in the agro-industrial complex of the country. As Minister of Agriculture Akhylbek Kurishbayev said at the session of the board of the Ministry held in Thursday, January 20, the export volume of the agro-industrial complex productions increased by 16 percent, and import decreased by 3.5 percent in 2010. K. Massimov stressed the necessity of launching additional complex measures in order to keep the food prices stable.
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov charged Agency of Kazakhstan for Land Resources Management together with the akimats of the region to audit all the documents for agricultural lands. He gave the instructions within the sitting of the board of the Agency held on Thursday. Besides, the Head of the Government charged to develop the issue of inventory auditing of farm lands in 2012. The Ministry of Finance was instructed to allocate funds on these purposes when the 2011 budget is revised.
Last year our country reached good results in the sphere of culture. The most significant achievements in the field of culture in 2010 are "1,000 traditional kyis", "1,000 traditional songs" projects. Prime Minister Karim Massimov gave such estimation to the work of the Ministry of Culture at the board meeting, held on Friday, January 20. As Minister of Culture Mukhtar Kul-Mukhammed said, these projects aroused wide public interest. A huge work was made within Madeni mura program as well. K.Massimov charged to pay special attention to the development of the state language.
Hyundai bus and truck assembly plant was opened in Almaty region on Friday, January 21. First Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak Shukeyev said that this event was a key moment in implementation of the strategic policy of the Kazakh President on establishment of the Customs Union and the Single Economic Space. The enterprise is opened within the implementation of the Program on Forced Industrial-Innovative Development for 2010-2014.