Who Can Receive Housing Repair Aid After Disasters in Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Citizens of Uzbekistan whose homes have been damaged by fires, floods, earthquakes or other emergencies may receive social assistance for housing repairs if they meet the established eligibility criteria, the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of Uzbekistan said.

To apply for assistance after a fire, applicants must provide a certificate issued by a Public Services Centre. In cases involving floods, earthquakes or other natural disasters, applicants must submit a damage assessment report prepared by a working group in accordance with Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 747 dated 25 November 2020.

Social assistance is available to families included in the Social Register whose average monthly income per family member does not exceed twice the minimum consumer expenditure.

Based on the current minimum consumer expenditure of 715,000 soums per person per month, the income threshold for eligibility is 1.43 million soums per family member.

The payment may amount to up to 150 basic calculation units. With the current basic calculation unit set at 412,000 soums, the maximum assistance available is 61.8 million soums.

The assistance may be provided more than once, depending on the circumstances. It can be received through one of three mechanisms.

Under the first option, repair funds are transferred to the Infrastructure and Social Stability Fund on the basis of lists compiled by district or city khokimiyats.

Under the second option, repair work is carried out by district or city improvement departments or Mahalla Servis Kompaniyasi.

Under the third option, beneficiaries carry out the repairs themselves. They may receive a voucher covering the purchase of construction materials worth up to 85% of the approved social assistance amount. Construction materials are purchased through the Uzum Market electronic trading platform.

The agency provided an example involving a family whose home was partially damaged by fire. If the family is not included in the Social Register but its per capita income is below the minimum consumer expenditure, it may apply for assistance after obtaining the required documents and completing the damage assessment.

After receiving a fire certificate from a Public Services Centre, the family must apply through representatives of the "Mahalla Seven". Following an inspection of the property, an assessment report specifying the extent of the damage is prepared.

If the damage is assessed at 100 basic calculation units, the family may receive 41.2 million soums in assistance. If it chooses to carry out the repairs independently, it may receive a voucher for construction materials worth up to 85% of that amount, or up to 35.02 million soums.

The voucher may be used to purchase construction materials, including roofing slate, doors, window frames and other necessary items, exclusively through the electronic trading platform.

Source: National Agency for Social Protection under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.