WEEKLY REVIEW: Kazakhstan extends cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, upgrades energy and water supply
On Monday, May 13, Talgat Mussabayev, the Chairman of the National Space Agency of Kazakhstan,
said that before the end of the current year the power of “KazSat-2”satellite, which provides television broadcasting and data, would be loaded up to 70 percent.
Tuesday, May 14, at a meeting of the Government the draft updated national budget for 2013 was approved. As Erbolat Dossayev, the Minister of Economy and Budget Planning, declared the income plan on the national budget for 2013 was refined and down warded by KZT 226.1 billion (tenge) and is identified a total of KZT 3 trillion 588.2 billion excluding transfers. The budget spending will be reduced by KZT 121.3 billion and will amount to KZT 6 trillion 99 billion.
Serik Akhmetov, the Prime Minister, instructed Serik Nokin, the Vice-Minister of Regional Development and "Kazakhstan Mortgage Company" to revise the previously determined cost of construction of houses being built under the program "Affordable Housing 2020." Akhmetov said that the prices of construction materials were rising and then constructors could not build a house for less than $ 600. The Prime Minister also instructed the Agency for Protection of Competition to find out the reasons for the sharp rise in prices in spring current year. In addition, Akhmetov asked to prepare proposals for the redistribution of the untapped resources on the program "Affordable Housing 2020" to the regions where they are being successfully developed. The Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies together with Akimats to take all necessary measures to put in operation 7 house-building factories within current year.
On Wednesday, May 15, Saken Sarsenov, the Vice Minister of Transport and Communications said that in the following 2 years in Kazakhstan there would be introduced the technology called «Mobile Number Portability» which enables people to switch to another mobile operator without changing cell phone number. According to him it will create conditions for the development of the competition between mobile operators and force them to revise their tariffs.
Aslan Musin, the Chairman of the Accounts Committee for Control over Execution of the Republican Budget on Wednesday reporting to the deputies of the Senate said that the central government authorities in 2012 were not using budget funds in the amount of KZT 41.8 billion, and the local ones – KZT 50.5 billion. In addition, last year the quasi-public sector entities did not disburse KZT 21.8 billion.
On Thursday, May 16, the Kazakh delegation headed by Bolat Zhamishev, the Minister of Finance attended the 22th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The event held the separate session "Factors of attractiveness of the investment climate in Kazakhstan" during which the parties discussed the prospects for the creation of new investment partners in Kazakhstan and the cooperation of Kazakhstan and the EBRD in joint investment projects. During the meeting with Suma Chakroborti, the President EBRD, B.Zhamishev briefed about the investment attractiveness and new features for Kazakhstan within the framework of the State Program of Forced Industrial-Innovative Development.
Following the meeting an agreement was signed between the Government and the Bank on the EBRD cooperation in Kazakhstan. Under the agreement small and medium business in Kazakhstan will be able to receive preferential loans from EBRD which will contribute the welfare and support citizens of Kazakhstan providing them with new jobs.
On Friday, May 17, during the meeting in Taraz Murat Ospanov, the Chairman of the Agency for Regulation of Natural Monopolies, said that the NMRA offered monopolists in a very short period of time to carry out a large-scale modernization of a reduction of losses and energy consumption. In addition, the Chairman of the NMRA informed about the planned amendments to the legislation to a large-scale modernization and installation of heat meters by service providers.
According to him the common house metering devices readings will be collected by an independent non-governmental organization. Common house metering devices which are available today in homes will be transferred to the monopolists at the residual price. Differentiated tariffs and the adjustment of the investment programs will act as financial sources for the metering devices installation. After correction works a certain amount will be allocated for the installation of metering devices.