INFORMATION DIGEST OF PRESS OF UZBEKISTAN # 167

August 25, 2017

OFFICIALLY
Uzbekistan to celebrate Kurban Hayit on 1 September

ECONOMY
What Is Advantageous about Tashkent Transformers?

THE ELEVENTH GENERAL SESSION OF SENATE OF OLIY MAJLIS OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Senators Approve Vital Bills

SOCIETY
To Khashar on the Call of Heart

The experience of the Uzbek mahalla as mechanism of providing human interests was presented to other countries

HISTORY
From the Treasury of World Civilization

OFFICIALLY

Uzbekistan to celebrate Kurban Hayit on 1 September
On 24 August the President of Uzbekistan signed a Resolution "On celebrating Kurban Hayit".
Taking into account the appeal of administration of Muslims of Uzbekistan on the coincidence of the first day of Eid al-Adha with September 1 (Friday), September 1 was declared a holiday.
(Source: UzReport.uz)

ECONOMY

What Is Advantageous about Tashkent Transformers?
Upgrade and renovation of low-voltage electric grids, as well as implementation of measures to reduce energy intensity, introduction of energy-saving technologies in the economic and social sectors, has motivated the country’s leading manufacturer of electrical equipment Toshelectroapparat FE LLC to establish the production of energy-efficient power oil-tight transformers of TMG type with a capacity ranging from 25 to 2,500 kVA.
The Chief Design Engineer for Transformers Enver Vililyaev has introduced us into details:
“Transformers of TMG type, developed and manufactured by Toshelectroapparat, have no counterparts in Central Asia in their technical parameters. They have a small-sized design and advanced characteristics, particularly reduced losses and off-load current, optimal indicators of short-circuit losses, significantly reduced acoustic (noise) characteristics (by 50%).
They are designed with the latest technical solutions that increase reliability, reduce operating costs, and are available owing to advanced technological equipment, particularly oil filling equipment by AMC company (Italy). It makes it possible to completely avoid the contact of oil with the environment, thereby excluding its hydration, oxidation and slagging. Before pouring, the oil is degassed, and is poured into the tank under a deep vacuum, ensuring removal of air particles from the insulation, thereby preventing oxidation of the oil, and providing high electrical strength of transformer insulation.
The oil-filling equipment by AMC is unique and has no counterparts in our country. Transformers by other manufacturers do not degas the oil. Degassing of transformer oil produced by our company allows avoiding its testing both during storage, commissioning and during operation. The thing is that the degassed oil does not change its properties during the whole service life of the transformer. Most importantly, the service life of the transformer increases to 30 years, it does not require any preventive maintenance, ongoing and major repairs during the entire lifetime.
Our transformer production also includes a drying chamber and a testing laboratory by AMC. In our country, such equipment is available only at Toshelectroapparat. The drying mode is carried out according to the approved technological processes.
The testing laboratory allows conducting a full-fledged acceptance testing, as recommended by GOST 11677-85 ‘Power transformers. General specifications’.
The introduction of TMG type transformers produced by Toshelectroapparat LLC has allowed reducing idling losses up to 40%, off-load current to 500%, short circuit losses to 20%, and total losses have been reduced by 25% compared to transformers of the Russian Federation and CIS countries. The reduction of transformer losses saves nine million kWh of electricity per year, and thereby, the payback period of our products ranges between one and one and a half years.
The plant is currently localizing imported components (from Turkey or the Russian Federation), including a switching device of NLTC type, plugs, float oil indicator, brass inputs LV and HV, safety valve, contact clamps. Full localization of imported components is scheduled for late 2017.
It is worth to mention that the manufacturing cost of transformers has been reduced by assembling a magnetic system with a minimum number of stages in line with European standards, application of a new scheme of regulation of the higher voltage winding, and reduced consumption of active materials (electrical steel, metal windings, transformer oil, insulating materials).
As assigned by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the electrical equipment supplied to customers has an optimized price due to product localization and application of innovative, constructive, technological solutions that allow reducing the product cost.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

THE ELEVENTH GENERAL SESSION OF SENATE OF OLIY MAJLIS OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN

Senators Approve Vital Bills
Yesterday, August 24, the Senate of Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan began its eleventh general session in Tashkent, to be continued today.
The members of the upper house of parliament started their work with consideration of the draft law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the dissemination of legal information and ensuring access to it. The bill provides for the normative regulation of the dissemination of regulatory and legal acts adopted in our country, the introduction of effective mechanisms to communicate their essence and significance to executors and the general population.
Afterwards, the senators approved the draft law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on protecting children from information that is harmful to their health. It was noted that the act will ensure the protection of the younger generation from destructive information traumatizing their psyche, and also restrict children’s access to information that is damaging to their health.
The session participants considered the draft law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the Commissioner under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for the Protection of Rights and Legitimate Interests of Entrepreneurs. The bill will help protect the rights and legitimate interests of business entities, build up effective dialogue between the government and bodies corporate, and stimulate the activities of the business community.
During the plenary session, the laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan on appeals of individuals and corporate entities in a new edition, on the Establishment of the Day of Youth in the Republic of Uzbekistan, were also discussed and approved by senators.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

SOCIETY

To Khashar on the Call of Heart
In preparation for the celebration of the Independence Day, a nationwide khashar (collective improvement works) was carried out across the country on 19-20 August, in which over 18 million of our compatriots took part. 12.4 million of them was the youth.
This event was conducted in all regions of the country, the most distant kishlaks (villages) and auls (remote residential area), in all organizations, institutions and enterprises, as well as gatherings of citizens. Within two days more than 40 thousand hectares of lands were landscaped, 27.4 thousand kilometers of irrigation-drainage system were cleaned, 734 sacred places and more than 9 thousand cemeteries were put in order.
In many mahallas of the republic, construction works to erect hundreds of household and retail outlets, sports facilities, beauty salons, mahalla guzars (centers) were completed. In addition, new offices of mahallas, children’s sports grounds were commissioned.
Khashar, which is the age-old traditional value of our people, is an invaluable educational event, a lesson of mercy and kindness. It strengthens the feelings of love and devotion to the Motherland in the hearts and minds of youth.
Exactly on the days of its conduct, the traces of kindness, humanism, good-neighborliness, rendering assistance to those in need formed in the atmosphere of the mahalla and the development of the tradition inherent in our people are filled with new content.
In the days of the khashar, elderly and disabled people, single old people who lost their bread-winners, poor families were helped to repair 615 thousand square meters of living space. Needy families, disabled people and lone old people were provided with material assistance amounting to 5.5 billion soums (currency rates of CB RU from 25.08.2017, 1$= 4182.30 soums), of which by the fund "Mahalla" - 900 million soums.
Those noble acts that united our people fanned the whole country and contributed to the implementation of another thousand such cases, which will become a solid basis for their continuation.
"I am grateful to all my compatriots for repairing my house during the khashar", says a disabled person from the second group of the "Oltin vody" mahalla in the Arnasay district of Jizzakh region, Negmat Soliyev. "The fence was tidied up by, the leaking roof was repaired, the kitchen was cleaned up. Now I will celebrate the holiday with a great mood”.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

The experience of the Uzbek mahalla as mechanism of providing human interests was presented to other countries
Analytical material "The mahalla— a unique civil society institution in Uzbekistan" was presented by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United Nations (New York city) and distributed as an official document on item 68 ("Promotion and protection of human rights") of the agenda of the 71st session of General Assembly of the United Nations.
The document has been translated into all official languages of the organization - Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, and it is available in the Official Document System of the United Nations.
The full text of the document is given below.

The mahalla— a unique civil society institution in Uzbekistan

In Uzbekistan, the mahalla dates back to ancient times as a powerful seat of culture, an effective citizens’ self-governing body, the entity closest to the people and a unique civil society institution. The role and significance of mahallas has always been invaluable in carefully preserving the multi-ethnic Uzbek people’s national and universal human values, culture, way of life, thoughts and spirituality that have been passed down for generations.
It was during the years of independence that, for the first time in the history of the nation State, citizens’ assemblies were enshrined in article 105 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan as territorial self-government units. The participation of self-governing bodies in specific areas of public life has been regulated in over 100 laws and regulations, as part of implementing the concept “from a strong State to a strong civil society”.
Over the past five years alone, laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan have been adopted and implemented on citizens’ self-governing bodies and on elections of the chairman (aqsaqal) of a citizens’ assembly and his advisers, as well as some 20 provisions relating to the work of mahallas and their public bodies. Skills development training courses have been held for workers in this sector. A popular educational television channel called Mahalla has been produced and a popular mass-circulated newspaper Mahalla has also been published.
In order to establish the organizational and legal framework for mahallas and to enhance the legal culture and skills of employees within citizens’ self-governing bodies, the Mahalla public charity foundation was established in 1992. It has an extensive network of subdivisions operating in each district and town of Uzbekistan. Over the past 25 years, the foundation has been performing a range of tasks aimed at integrating mahallas into modern democratic society, specifically helping to improve the organizational framework of mahallas, expanding their functions and ensuring their close cooperation with the public and administrative authorities.
Today, some 10 thousand citizens’ assemblies operating in our country are successfully performing over 30 socially and economically significant tasks that had previously been carried out by the local government authorities.
As noted by the President of Uzbekistan, Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the State attaches particular importance to effectively harnessing the opportunities provided by mahallas, enhancing the legal culture in society and strengthening respect for the law among citizens. The mahalla is set to become an even more efficient body offering real assistance to the people, a “window of justice” and a place where people can express their views and outline their proposals and problems, which undoubtedly will further strengthen the people’s trust in the State.
The decree of the President of Uzbekistan on measures for the further improvement of the mahalla institution, dated 3 February 2017, marked the beginning of a new phase in the development of this system. The mahalla institution is being successfully improved to meet modern needs.
In accordance with this decree, the following five priority areas have been identified to further improve the mahalla institution:
Strengthening the place and role of citizens’ self-governing bodies in society and transforming them into local entities that provide real assistance to people;
Further improving the relevance and authority of mahallas in creating an atmosphere of mutual respect, kindness and charity, fostering social cohesion and preserving and developing national and universal human values;
Bolstering cooperation between citizens’ self-governing bodies and governmental and non-governmental organizations in raising young people who are physically and mentally healthy;
Expanding the direct involvement of mahallas in ensuring public order and safety, the early reporting of offences and increased respect for the law among citizens;
Introducing effective mechanisms in order to protect rights and legitimate interests, coordinate the work of citizens’ self-governing bodies and ensure common law enforcement practice within the mahalla system.
In accordance with the above decree, the national coordination council of citizens’ self-governing bodies has been granted legal personality. Its subdivisions are formed by councils in the Republic of Karakalpakstan and in the city of Tashkent, as well as provincial, district and municipal councils.
In order to implement the main tasks and new norms approved by the decree, a programme of comprehensive measures is being implemented that includes specific activities to further improve the work of the councils and provide support for citizens’ self-governing bodies.
In order to upgrade the facilities of citizens’ self-governing bodies, children’s playgrounds have been built and lifestyle amenities developed for mahallas under territorial programmes for the period 2017-2021. By 1 December 2018, measures will be taken to build “mahalla centre” model projects in districts and towns.
A modern “mahalla centre” complex has separate rooms with furniture, computers and relevant reading materials for the mahalla chairman, secretary, consultants, advisers and crime prevention officer. “Mahalla centre” projects also include facilities that shape the lives of modern citizens such as tea rooms, bakeries, beauty salons, shops, sports grounds and children’s playgrounds.
Today the kengash [committee] of citizens’ assemblies is a fine-tuned mechanism that includes the chairman, advisers to the chairman on elderly, veteran and youth affairs, consultants, the executive secretary, the adviser to the citizens’ assembly on questions of religious education and spiritual and moral upbringing, the head of the “Mahalla posobni” public organization, the local crime prevention inspectors, and also the heads of educational institutions and rural health centres (family clinics) located in the territories of citizens’ assemblies.
Citizens’ self-governing bodies have commissions that successfully cover the following main areas of work of the citizens’ assemblies: reconciliation; education and spirituality; social support; work with women; children, youth and sports; the development of entrepreneurship and family businesses; the environment, nature conservation, landscaping and greening; and public oversight and consumer protection. Depending on the urgency of the issues in the territory concerned, a citizens’ assembly may also set up other commissions pertaining to its main areas of activity.
In the context of the “Year of Dialogue with the People and Human Interests” initiated by the President of Uzbekistan, Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, mahalla leaders and activists are engaged in law making and in work related to preventing offences, enhancing legal awareness among the public, especially youth and women, assisting socially vulnerable segments of the population, promoting physical culture, sport and healthy living, organizing recreation for boys and girls and protecting the environment. The teaching of entrepreneurship skills and the use of e-Government services are particular areas of focus.
Public oversight by citizens’ self-governing bodies, concerning enforcement and effective implementation by government authorities of their duties to resolve urgent public issues, plays an important role in providing meaningful feedback between society and the State and in further improving the social and spiritual atmosphere in families and mahallas.
In all of this work, citizens’ self-governing bodies and the Mahalla public charity foundation cooperate actively with Youth Union of Uzbekistan, the Women’s Committee, the Nuronii Foundation for the public support of veterans and other civic organizations.
Uzbekistan has put into practice the principle that the entire mahalla is responsible for each child. All the strengths and capabilities of the State and society are mobilized to educate young people in a spirit of national and universal values. In this task, government bodies rely on mahallas, whose assets include veterans and mothers with tremendous life experience, knowledge and spiritual capacity. The numerous sporting events organized by mahallas help boys and girls to grow physically strong and healthy.
The mahallaiftihori badge was established in July 2017 and will be awarded to proactive citizens and representatives of civic institutions that have made a worthy contribution to implementing the tasks entrusted to the citizens’ self-governing bodies.
Today the Uzbek mahalla is a seat of learning. Libraries are gradually being organized in buildings of citizens’ assemblies, for example, with mahalla bibliophile weeks held on site. Mahalla centres have libraries that are well stocked with books, including e-books, as well as computers with Internet access. This is important in organizing substantive leisure activities for people and enhancing a culture of reading among young people.
Community councils dealing with relations between families, mahallas and schools and “parents’ universities”, whereby parents assume their responsibility for protecting their child, help teachers in the education of children, increase the role of parents in the child development process, and bring together schools and families in preventing pupils from developing harmful habits. Parents, health-care professionals and educators systematically discuss and develop collective solutions to problems of concern to young people and young families.
The modern Uzbek mahalla functions like a genuine school of democracy and lives as one family. Mahalla leaders and activists are informed about the status, successes and challenges of each family. They spread the message of cohesion and harmony. That is why people join citizens’ assemblies, share their views and proposals, and discuss and find solutions to their concerns.
Ancient and forever young, the Uzbek mahalla is the common home of ethnically diverse representatives. Inter-ethnic harmony within citizens’ assemblies and the further strengthening of friendship, cohesion and mutual respect are important for enhancing the independence and development of the nation and the well-being of its people.
The 2017-2021 strategy of action on five priority areas for the development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, adopted in February 2017, seeks to strengthen the role of non-governmental, community-based organizations and local self-governing bodies, including the relevance and effectiveness of the mahalla institution in public administration. That task has been carried out successfully.
The current experience of Uzbekistan reaffirms the validity of this unique institution for independent action whereby citizens address issues of local significance based on their interests, historical development characteristics, national and spiritual values, and local customs and traditions. Mahallas are successfully engaged in democratic transformations based on the following principles: the rule of law; the precedence of the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of individuals; democracy; openness; social justice; autonomy in local decision-making; public recourse; social partnership; and respect for local customs and traditions.
Thanks to the mahalla Uzbekistan has, for centuries, developed and maintained specific principles for the population governing their social and economic behaviour, respect for community values and ethical relationships, which guarantees that they unconditionally fulfil their commitments and responsibilities to society. All of this, alongside high levels of trust between citizens in mahallas, is a prerequisite for the formation of civil society.
Today the experience of the mahalla, as a unique institution for building a democratic State and forming a strong civil society, can be used effectively in other countries that are moving towards democracy.
(Source: Press Service of the MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan)

HISTORY

From the Treasury of World Civilization
Samarkand will host August 28 an international conference ‘Central Asian Renaissance in the History of World Civilization.’ In this connection, we offer you to get acquainted with the view of Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Mirzohid Rahimov on this academic issue. He is deeply convinced that the historical heritage of the thinkers of Uzbekistan and Central Asia is a factor in strengthening the modern inter-civilization dialogue.
The modern world system represents a variety of processes of interaction and mutual influence. There are different opinions about the development of world processes. Thus the concept of inter-civilization dialogue has a whole complex of relations - from political-economic to cultural aspects and is aimed at expanding cooperation. Without a doubt, the adoption of a civilization distinction is a prerequisite in the modern development of relations between different countries and regions of the world. In the context of complex globalization processes, historical legacy and international humanitarian cooperation - a key aspect of national, regional and global dialogue and sustainable development, are of great importance.
Uzbekistan and Central Asia have the richest and unique cultural heritage that is part of the treasury of world civilization. Thinkers of our region played a huge role in the development of mutual exchange by the achievements of the material and spiritual culture of the peoples of the East and Europe. An important condition for the spiritual revival of Uzbekistan turned the use of the legacy of outstanding educators who lived in the period of the Eastern Renaissance. The whole world knows the outstanding discoveries in the field of mathematics, astronomy, geodesy, mineralogy, pharmacology, medicine, social science of our great ancestors including Muhammad Al-Khorazmiy, Abu Rayhon Beruniy, Abu Ali ibn Sino - Avicenna, Mirzo Ulughbek and many others. Thus, with the name of Khorazmiy, the invention of the concepts of the ‘algorithm’ of the decimal system and ‘zero’ is connected. The work of Abu Ali ibn Sino ‘Canon of Medical Science’ for 500 years was used in the most famous European universities as a textbook for all students. Mirzo Ulughbek is the astronomer who, in the 15th century, built an observatory in Samarqand and created a celestial map.
Possessing encyclopedic knowledge, Abu Rayhon Beruniy could conduct a deeply scientific discussion with a specialist in any branch of science - from mathematics and astronomy to poetry and history. He even predicted the existence of the American continent 500 years before its discovery. Beruniy perfectly spoke in Arabic, Persian, Sogdian, Sanskrit, Syrian, Hebrew, Greek and other languages. All his works about the traditions, culture and history of other peoples are permeated with the spirit of the highest respect for them. The famous modern American scientist Professor S. Frederick Starr notes that Beruniy was a bridge between the ancient world and European researchers; he made his discoveries through the systematic and rigorous application of logical reasoning, being not limited to religious dogmas and secular concepts.
Further, Frederick Starr says that for several centuries Central Asia was the intellectual hub of the world. The thinkers of the Central Asian region played a huge role in the development of mutual exchange of achievements in the material and spiritual culture of the peoples of the East and Europe. The works of Plato, Aristotle, Archimedes, Socrates, and Hippocrates were translated into Arabic. In turn, the works of Muhammad Khorazmiy, Ahmad Farghoniy, Farobiy, Abu Ali ibn Sino who hugely contributed in the medieval achievements of the West - mathematics, astronomy, medicine - were translated into Latin. According to the well-known economics historian Professor Andre Gunder Frank, Central Asia has for many centuries been an important link between different parts of Asia, as well as between this continent and Europe, which defines the region as Centrality of Central Asia. German scientist Adam Metz notes that the humanism of the medieval European Renaissance would not have been possible without an early ‘outbreak’ of philosophy in Central Asia. All this, of course, proves the inconsistency of various one-sidedly oriented concepts of the development of East and West and confirms the unity and interconnectedness of historical processes in various regions of the world.
It should be noted that the theory and practice of the state and society was also the subject of discussion among many thinkers and statesmen of Central Asia. So, Al-Farobiy was the first of the medieval thinkers to develop the doctrine of the features and structure of social life. In his work ‘Treatise on the views of the residents of virtuous city’, he noted that the art of government presupposes both theoretical knowledge of general laws of government and practical activity in this sphere. Governance of the state, in his opinion, is of two types: the first leads the citizens of the state to true happiness, the second - to the illusory, the false. The great statesman of the Seljuk state, Nizomulmulk, described in detail the principles of state government, the rules of upbringing, the moral qualities of rulers and officials, and the outstanding medieval poet Alisher Navoi, the qualities of ‘perfect man and ruler.’ Many historical sources report on the need to educate the high spirituality and education of diplomats, their devotion to the service of their state, which testifies to the high requirements in those days for the training of personnel in the field of diplomacy and interstate relations. The views of Farobiy, Nizomulmulk, Navoi and other thinkers of Central Asia had an important influence on the creativity and views of a number of European statesmen and scholars, such as Machiavelli, Vambery, Hegel, Dante, Nietzsche and others.
The great Indian statesman and thinker Jawaharlal Nehru notes that the dynasty founded by Bobur played a huge role in the history of India’s development. Indeed, the Boburids made a great contribution not only to the development of statehood, but also to the strengthening of inter-ethnic and inter-confessional tolerance in India. The commonality of historical processes is an important factor in the development of international relations between Uzbekistan and many Asian countries.
It is also important to note that for many centuries the ancient land of Uzbekistan remained the focus of education and science, one of the centers of world civilization, and the desire for knowledge has always been an integral part of the mentality of our people.
It should also be noted the outstanding achievements and skillful diplomacy of Amir Temur, which contributed to the unification of a number of European and Asian states in a single space of civilizational dialogue, which was a unique phenomenon for medieval times. The words of Amir Temur, “The counsel, prudence, deliberation are ten times more useful in politics than the force of weapons”, are not only the quintessence of all his activities, but also relevant for the present, since they contain the principle of preventive diplomacy, when disputes and conflicts are resolved through political dialogue. These principles are taken as the basis for the activities of UN and other international and regional organizations, and their subsequent implementation on a global scale will be of great importance in international relations.
Modern Uzbekistan continues the tradition of developing intercultural and inter-civilization dialogue. For many centuries of coexistence by representatives of different faiths, traditions of mutual respect and tolerance were established here.
Uzbekistan and other countries have become active participants in various projects for the revival of the Great Silk Road, which stimulate economic and political cooperation of young states in Central Asia among themselves and the developed states of Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
Thus, for many centuries Uzbekistan and Central Asia have been the most important focus of education and science. The greatest merit of the great thinkers of the Medieval is that they promoted the ideas of humanism, enlightenment and mutual respect. Scientists from the Central Asian region were distinguished by high academic mobility, playing a huge role in world civilization.
Modern complex world and regional processes require the search and deepening of dialogue and cooperation and in this process the role of the historical heritage is enormous.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

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