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Kazakhstan Forwards Water-Saving Technology

On May 6, the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation reported on measures being taken to encourage farmers to save and use water more efficiently. The move addresses Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s earlier criticism about the process of introducing water-saving technologies being “extremely slow,” with agricultural sectors in some regions, experiencing annual losses of water of 40%. According to plans set in motion by the ministry, by 2030, the installation of water-saving technologies will provide an annual saving of up to 2.1 cubic kilometres of water on 50% of the country’s irrigated land To date, subsidies for drilling irrigation wells have been increased to 80% of their costs, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, work is progressing to increase subsidies for the installation of water-saving systems from 50% to 80% of their costs. In adherence to the new Water Code, the state will provide subsidies and reduced tariffs for water supply depending on the extent to which water-saving technologies are used. Tariffs for irrigation water are set to be calculated according to the types of crops grown and the volume of water required for their production. The ministry is also working to digitalize 3,500 km of irrigation canals in the Almaty, Zhambyl, Kyzylorda, and Turkestan regions in the south of the country, which will improve water metering on 362 thousand hectares of irrigated land and enable a saving up to 600 million cubic meters of water annually.

Victory Day Payments for WWII Veterans in Former Soviet Republics

To mark the 79th anniversary of the Second World War Victory, celebrated in former Soviet republics on 9 May, Kazakhstan's 50,100 WWII veterans and contributors each received at least 1.5 million tenge ($3,500). According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, Victory Day awards differed from region to region. Qualified residents in Akmola received 3 million tenge, in Aktobe, over 2 million tenge, and in Abay, Almaty, Karaganda, and Pavlodar as well as the cities of Astana and Almaty, 2 million tenge. Records of 1 May, show that 148 WW2 veterans currently reside in Kazakhstan. The country is also home to 50,012 others who played important roles in winning the war, including 70 residents of besieged Leningrad; 149 prisoners of German concentration camps; 2,314 spouses of those killed and disabled in battle ; 2 widows of soldiers who died or went missing, and 47,477 people who manned the home front. During WWII, over 1.2 million Kazakhs were called to the Soviet-German front. Fighting in over 20 infantry divisions, fifty percent died or went missing in combat. In Kyrgyzstan, 41 surviving war veterans will each receive 100 thousand soms (almost $1,130) from the President’s Fund. In Russia, veterans will receive a single federal payment of 10 thousand rubles (about $109), and those based in Moscow, an additional 10 -25 thousand rubles. Victory Day payments to veterans in Belarus are around $1,226 per head, and in Azerbaijan, $1,200.

Kazakhstan Establishes Forest Protection Service

On May 4, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov signed a government resolution establishing a national Forest Protection Service. Administered by the Ministry of Ecology, the agency is tasked to enhance the efficiency of forestry institutions in dealing with emergency situations, including forest fires, as well as instilling a more scientific approach to subsequent forest rehabilitation and clearance. In addition to improving coordination between government agencies in the elimination of large-scale wildfires, the Forest Protection Service will ensure that personnel responsible for preventing and extinguishing forest fires are fully qualified. Machinery and equipment required for the job will also be updated and increased. Kazakhstan currently has 15 national civil defense services, including the Firefighting Service, Medical Service, Chemical Protection Service, Radiation Protection Service, and Hydrometeorological Service.

First Kazakh Kindergarten Has Opened in California’s Silicon Valley

The first Kazakh kindergarten in the U.S. has opened in the state of California, and its a project developed and operated by natives of Kazakhstan. The main purpose of the educational center is to work for the preservation of national culture abroad, reports the news site 24.KZ. The idea to create a kindergarten replete with Kazakh-language instruction education came to Zhanna Atabekova. According to her, through the new school, citizens of Kazakhstan who live and work in Silicon Valley can now instill national values in their children. "We want our child to receive the same upbringing as if he or she was raised by grandparents. This kindergarten is important to preserve our language," parents stated. Earlier, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke out on the issue of a national language policy, expressing confidence that Kazakh would become the main language of inter-ethnic communication. At the end of last year, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Labor and Social Protection reported on its efforts to open education and training centers to help prepare Kazakhs for work abroad. According to official data, more than 194,000 citizens currently work abroad: 162,700 in Russia, 13,100 in Poland, 6,000 in South Korea, and 5,000 in Britain.

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EBRD Launches New Training Program for Female Entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's (EBRD) Women in Microbusiness training program is being launched in Kazakhstan to support women entrepreneurs facing social or economic obstacles in their business activities. Statistics show that whilst women manage 49 percent of all micro and small-sized businesses in Kazakhstan, their representation in medium and large business sectors is only 36 percent and 19 percent, respectively. Reporting on the initiative, Alma Kasymova, head of the EBRD's SME (small- and medium-sized enterprises) Program in Kazakhstan, stated, "Our main goal and mission is to empower women entrepreneurs to grow and develop their micro-enterprises through affordable and quality training. We are confident that this program will help participants to expand their competencies and open new perspectives in larger business segments." The training, conducted online in Kazakh and Russian, will run for five months and comprise six business modules in marketing, sales, finance, human resources, operational management, strategic planning, as well as automation and the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Participants will be able to enrol at any time convenient for them. . Welcoming its launch, an EBRD spokesperson announced, "This is the third implementation of the program -realized in collaboration with the training and consulting company Dialog . Previous projects allowed almost 1,500 women entrepreneurs to strengthen their skills and improve their businesses. "

Transshipment of Russian Oil Through Kazakhstan to China to Become More Expensive

The Parliament of Kazakhstan has approved an increase in the cost of transit of Russian oil across Kazakhstan to China. At the same time, the volume of transportation will increase to ten million tons annually from the previous figure of seven. The document amends the agreement between Kazakhstan and Russia on the transportation of hydrocarbons through the territory of the Republic. The prior agreement was signed in December 2013. According to the new amendments, the tariff for transit on the pipeline section Tuimazy-Omsk-Novosibirsk (TON) will be set at $2.1 per ton, and through the territory of Kazakhstan - $15 per ton. According to Senator Suindik Aldashev, the agreement will be valid until January 1, 2034. Earlier, Kazakhstan Energy Minister, Almasadam Satkaliev said that Rosneft has signed an agreement with SNPS-Aktobemunaigas, which is controlled by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), to supply 100 million tons of oil over a period of ten years. The extension of the agreement will ensure that the Pavlodar petrochemical refining plant will be loaded with oil that comes through the Omsk-Pavlodar pipeline. It's forecasted that the Kazakh side's profit from transportation tariffs could reach $1.7 billion.