Low-income residents of Bishkek get 100,000 soms to open small business

12:18, 07 сентября 2022, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Maria ORLOVA

Low-income residents of Bishkek received 100,000 soms for opening of a small business. Press service of the capital’s City Hall reported.

According to it, a ceremony of presenting certificates to low-income citizens, who received the right to conclude a «social contract,» took place on Wednesday. A total of 350 families will receive support.

The Minister of Labour, Social Security and Migration, Kudaibergen Bazarbaev, recalled that the provision on social assistance on the basis of a «social contract» was developed at the initiative of the President Sadyr Japarov. «This document introduces a new active measure to overcome poverty in Kyrgyzstan, when low-income families receive 100,000 soms from the state to open a small business,» he said.

According to the official, 292 million soms were allocated from the budget for the conclusion of «social contracts» with 2,800 families, including 35 million soms for Bishkek.

The «social contract» is an agreement between low-income families and the state, under which families receive a cash grant to start an income-generating activity along with a comprehensive support package that includes financial literacy training, assistance in developing a business plan, vocational or agricultural training, social services and mentoring to successfully run a long-term livelihood business.

The project targets households living below the national poverty line with business ideas, start-up assets and basic knowledge for proposed activities such as animal husbandry, dairy sales, sewing services, greenhouses and other initiatives.