Tajikistan’s social protection bodies have begun creating a national register of poor families.  To-date, more than 60,000 such families have reportedly been included in the register.

A regular sitting of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament), presided over by its head, Shukurjon Zuhurov, was held on November 10.

Presenting the bill on the targeted social assistance, Ms. Saida Umarzoda, First Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Population, noted that more than 97,000 poor families in the country received 400 somoni annually in the targeted social assistance. 

“Next year, poor families from another 15 cities and districts will be included in the targeted assistance program,” Ms. Umarzoda said.  

Deputy Majlisi Namoyandagon speaker, Ms. Khairnisso Yusufi, for her part, noted that Tajikistan had worked out indicators to define poor families.

She said the indicators took into consideration a family income, number of economically active members of the family, number children in the family, etc.

“The indicators’ data are introduced into the special program and if family receives a score less than 222 it is considered to be poor family,” Ms. Yusufi noted.  

According to official figures, about 31 percent of Tajikistan’s population is considered to be poor.