The draft law 'On the Development of Border Territories' proposes additional payments to public sector workers in villages near the border. Doctors, teachers, veterinarians, cultural and sports workers in settlements up to 25 kilometers from the border are to receive increasing coefficients to their salaries. In addition, the document enshrines the very concept of border territories and a list of support measures for them. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Border territories are defined as areas within 50 kilometers of the state border. These can be a settlement, village, rural district, district, or city. The list of such territories, or register, will be approved by the authorized body in the field of regional development. Local akimats will be able to submit proposals for inclusion in the register.
Separately, the draft law identifies 'remote border settlements.' These are those located within 25 kilometers of the border. Special measures are envisaged for them.
Furthermore, the territories will be divided into northern, eastern, southern, and western. The classification is needed for a so-called differentiated approach: support measures will depend on the geography, demography, and economy of a specific territory.
The main innovation concerns salaries. According to the draft, specialists in healthcare, social security, education, culture, sports, veterinary medicine, forestry, and specially protected natural areas working in remote border villages are to be given 'increasing coefficients to official salaries, in the amount of no more than one and a half coefficients.' This applies to civil servants.
In addition, the state must establish standards that ensure 'the mandatory functioning of educational and healthcare facilities in remote border villages.' That is, a school and hospital in such a village should not be closed due to the small number of residents.
To retain specialists and young people in villages, the draft law proposes housing programs, land plots, social benefits, grants, and subsidies. For businesses, microcrediting, subsidizing interest rates and leasing payments, loan guarantees, and support for agricultural cooperation are prescribed. Authorities will be able to attract investors through public-private partnerships.
Among the development directions are tourism, border trade and logistics infrastructure, processing, roads, engineering networks, and accessibility of social facilities. Akimats will develop measures and include them in regional planning documents, while maslikhats will approve them and hold public hearings.
Truck drivers reported a accumulation of vehicles on the approach to the 'B. Konysbaev' checkpoint in the Turkestan region. According to their estimates, the length of the queue reached 25 km, and waiting to cross the border takes up to three days.