DUSHANBE, April 30, Asia-Plus - Addressing the joint session of parliament, President Rahmon noted on April 30 that a draft national development strategy for 2007-2015 and a draft poverty reduction strategy for 2007-2009 will be submitted for consideration to the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) soon.  

According to him, the following circumstances should be taken into account on the implementation of these documents:

• Goals, priorities and main directions of these documents are considered foundation for other national and regional programs, projected for a fixed period, as well as foreign aid programs;
• These strategies will be implemented by means of accelerated economic development, based on an efficient use of existing resources and potentials, as well as use of foreign aid;
• Coordination of activities of all partners will be based on the principle of equality of rights of state and private sector;
• To provide national development, powers, goals and objectives of central and local authorities have been reviewed, activities of local authorities have been coordinated, and services of institutions of civil society have been enlisted.

The president termed the creation of the state committee for investments and state-owned property and anticorruption agency as confirmation of this.     

In connection with the creation of new agencies, the government is to project amendments to the country’s legislation, according to him.  

We will recall that addressing the Tajik parliament last year, President Rahmon focused on the corruption issue.  He that time accused government ministries of turning into mafia clans and threatened to confiscate what he called their "illegal property."  Rahmon said he was prepared to take "tough measures" to clamp down on corruption.  He urged officials to voluntarily declare their real estate and other property -- a move he said would spare them from being confiscated.

Under the poverty reduction strategy for 2007-2009, an average annual growth in gross domestic product (GDP) should be not less than 7 percent and the volume of main investments should be brought up to 20 percent of GDP.  “A share of private sector in the country’s economy should rise from 43 percent in 2005 to 55 percent by the end of 2009,” the head of state said.  

According to him, 43 billion somonis, with 24 billion somonis of them being from domestic resources, are planned to be attracted in the implementation of the national development strategy for 2007-2015.