Uzbekistan Agency Explains Social Register Removal Rules

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan's National Agency for Social Protection under the President has said that a family's removal from the Social Register does not in itself indicate a reduction in the poverty level.

The agency stressed that such decisions should be based on an actual improvement in a family's socio-economic situation and its compliance with established criteria, the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan said.

The statement came amid the circulation of various opinions on social media concerning cases of citizens being removed from the Social Register.

According to the agency, systematic efforts are being carried out across the country's regions to reduce poverty, increase family incomes and provide the population with stable sources of income. At the same time, the agency stressed that the number of families removed from the Social Register cannot be used as an independent indicator of poverty reduction.

The agency identifies the main purpose of the Social Register as identifying citizens in need, ensuring their social protection and providing them with the necessary assistance and services. According to the agency, the more families in need that are identified and covered by appropriate support, the greater the opportunities to improve their socio-economic situation.

The agency said such improvements may be reflected in the results of subsequent poverty measurements.

Therefore, according to the agency's official position, families should not be removed from the Social Register for the purpose of meeting an established plan or achieving a specific indicator.

The decision to remove a family, the agency stressed, must be based on an actual improvement in its situation and compliance with the established criteria.

Poverty levels in individual regions are determined based on surveys. These studies are conducted in accordance with standards developed on the basis of the World Bank's methodology.

At the same time, the Social Protection Inspectorate under the National Agency for Social Protection is conducting oversight of families removed from the Social Register.

The inspections examine whether the decisions complied with the established criteria and prescribed procedures.

The agency stressed that the priority is not to reduce the number of citizens included in the Social Register, but to genuinely lift families out of poverty and ensure that citizens in need have access to social protection.