Mahalla should become a center of trust, support, and opportunity for people

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting on creating a new environment in mahallas and transforming the work of the "mahalla seven."

The Head of State noted that this year, on average, 250 billion soums have been allocated to each district for infrastructure improvement and creating better conditions for residents and entrepreneurs, while each mahalla has received an average of 5.5 billion soums.

As a result of expanding the powers of district khokims and mahalla chairpersons in revenue generation, additional local revenues have nearly doubled. On average, districts retained an additional 22 billion soums, while mahalla budgets received an additional 150–200 million soums.

"District khokims, mahalla chairpersons, and every member of the “mahalla seven” have the authority and resources to address local issues. What is lacking is responsibility and initiative," the President said.

Analysis shows that in some mahallas, local issues are not being addressed in a timely manner. This year alone, more than 200 appeals were submitted through the People's Receptions from each of 87 mahallas.

Moreover, despite the allocation of 7.5 trillion soums under the "Initiative Budget" program this year, not a single project was selected in 2,136 mahallas. Over the past six months, banks allocated 18.5 trillion soums for small-scale projects, resulting in the implementation of 110,000 micro-projects and the employment of 259,000 people. However, in 47 mahallas, only two micro-projects were launched.

The low involvement of low-income families in projects in certain districts was criticized. It was noted that in 32 mahallas, home to 960 low-income families, not a single person in need had secured permanent employment. It was also noted that in 883 mahallas, bankers had neither conducted door-to-door visits to identify project opportunities nor met with entrepreneurs.

For this reason, since the beginning of the year, 152 leaders who failed to properly organize work in mahallas have been dismissed, while disciplinary measures have been taken against another 700.

The meeting also discussed issues related to crime prevention in mahallas, addressing citizens' concerns, and strengthening the accountability of the "mahalla seven."

The Head of State emphasized that the mahalla should become a true center of trust, support, and opportunity for people.

A Presidential Decree was recently signed on improving the organization of mahalla management. Under the decree, the mahalla chairperson must evolve from someone who merely records social problems into the "economic customer" of the territory.

From now on, each mahalla chairperson will formulate the economic and social agenda of their territory. At the same time, problems will be precisely assessed, projects prepared, and specific tasks assigned to the responsible organizations. Mahalla chairpersons will also be granted the authority to auction land plots for the construction of private kindergartens, schools, clinics, and sports facilities.

The Head of State emphasized that mahalla chairpersons should take the initiative in implementing projects aimed at addressing social problems, ensuring cleanliness, and increasing incomes.

Grants of 10 million soums will be allocated to the "mahalla seven" for such projects. A total of 240 billion soums will be earmarked for this purpose.

The mahalla chairperson must become a true manager of the territory. They will approve the weekly and monthly work plans of the hokim's assistant, the women's activist, the youth leader, the social worker, the prevention inspector, the tax inspector, and the mahalla banker, assign them specific tasks, and hold them accountable for their implementation.

To provide methodological support for the activities of the "mahalla seven" and introduce a scientific approach to addressing issues in mahallas, a National Institute for Mahalla Development will be established. The institute will train members of the "mahalla seven" and develop scientific solutions to pressing issues in mahallas.

The meeting also determined that the working methods of mahalla bankers would be fundamentally transformed. Banks will now be required to identify the growth potential of each mahalla, find proactive individuals, and increase the number of viable projects. From now on, each mahalla banker will be assigned to no more than three mahallas.

Mahalla bankers will work with bank clients in their assigned territories, identifying available jobs and the skills required for them. They will submit requests to the employment authorities to train unemployed residents in these professions and help those who complete the training secure employment.

This year, an additional 2 trillion soums in concessional financing has been allocated for family entrepreneurship projects. For mahallas with difficult socio-economic conditions, the interest rate on loans has been reduced from 17.5 percent to 12 percent. Mahalla bankers will now be able to use these funds to support the projects they identify.

State-owned banks will work on the specialization of mahallas, establishing a "cultivation – processing – storage – packaging – sales" chain in cooperation with "Agro-star" companies. The task has been set to begin work in 1,000 mahallas within a month and implement at least three "locomotive" projects in each mahalla.

New initiatives were also put forward to strengthen mahalla budgets. From now on, 5 percent of the land tax and property tax collected from non-residential properties in a mahalla will remain in the mahalla budget. As a result, mahallas will retain an additional 400 billion soums annually.

During the year, 200 mahallas demonstrating the best performance in registering entrepreneurs, creating new jobs, increasing revenues, and identifying additional tax bases will each receive 2 billion soums in rewards.

Overall, as a result of the new initiatives, revenues to mahalla budgets will reach 1.6 trillion soums this year and 2 trillion soums from next year.

The year 2026 has been declared the Year of Mahalla Development and Social Prosperity in Uzbekistan. In this regard, it was emphasized that the results of reforms in all areas should, first and foremost, be evident in every mahalla and in people's well-being.

This year, the 35th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence will be widely celebrated under the noble idea, "One Motherland, One People – Together We Are Building a New Life and Future." To mark the nation's greatest and dearest holiday in every mahalla in a festive spirit, a "Month of Improvement and Charity in Mahallas" has been announced.

To organize improvement work in mahallas, a national headquarters headed by the Prime Minister will be established, while regional headquarters will be led by khokims. The President emphasized that this should not be a month-long campaign but a year-round nationwide movement.

To encourage these efforts, year-end awards will be established for the "Best-Kept Apartment" in apartment buildings, the "Best-Landscaped Courtyard" in a mahalla, the "Best-Landscaped Street" in the area, and the "Most Exemplary Mahalla" in each district and region.

Apartments in multi-story residential buildings that win the competition will be granted property tax exemptions, while owners of private houses will receive land tax exemptions. The "mahalla seven" that demonstrates best practices will be rewarded, and its working methods will be introduced in other territories as a model.

"The mahalla is the administrative level closest to the people. People's everyday issues should be resolved there, without unnecessary red tape," the President said.

Currently, about 100 services are provided through the "mahalla seven." Going forward, all public services will be gradually transferred to the mahalla level.

The meeting also discussed expanding the scope of social assistance in mahallas. Cases of the unjustified refusal to include people in the social register, as well as their unjustified removal from it, were criticized.

As a result, low-income families are unable to access guaranteed services such as social assistance and enrolment of their children in kindergartens and clubs. In 184 mahallas, all 2,000 applications submitted within a single month were unjustifiably rejected. Consequently, since the beginning of the year, the number of appeals to the President regarding inclusion in the social register has increased by 1.5 times, from 30,000 to 46,000.

The Prosecutor General's Office has been instructed to ensure strict oversight of the proper maintenance of the social register. By the end of the year, 25 types of services, including early disability identification, housing adaptation, and placement in social housing, are to be transferred to the mahalla level.

Within three months, day-care and home-care services, as well as "Madad" homes for people with dementia and intellectual disabilities, will be established in 250 mahallas. In 75 mahallas, the "Faol Hayot" program will be launched for elderly people requiring care, while support centers will be established for unsupervised children and victims of violence.

It was noted that the crime prevention system established in the mahallas is producing tangible results. Of the 1,162 mahallas with a challenging crime situation over the past three years, 571 have recorded no crimes at all this year.

In particular, no crimes were recorded in a number of "red-category" mahallas thanks to the installation of surveillance cameras, the creation of safe streets and pedestrian routes, the provision of psychological support to families, and targeted work with low-income, unemployed, and crime-prone residents.

A methodology based on the experience of exemplary mahallas will be developed jointly with scientific organizations working in the field of crime prevention. Throughout the year, prevention inspectors from "red" and "yellow" category mahallas will receive on-site training based on this methodology.

During the meeting, reports were heard from responsible officials, and a dialogue was held with mahalla representatives.