DUSHANBE, November 30, Asia-Plus – Speaking at the government session, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon noted on November 30 that the country’s poverty rate will decrease to 30 percent by 2015 and to 20 percent by 2020.

According to him, this can be reached due to implementation of the Living Standards Improvement Strategy of Tajikistan.

As a result of achievement of strategic goals the country’s economic growth rate may exceed 80 percent in 2020, the president stressed.

“Gross domestic product (GDP) per capital will rise 1.5 or 2 times and financing of the social sector will rise from current 12 to 16 percent by 2020,” Emomali Rahmon noted.

Wages of employees of federally funded organizations, pensions and student grants may rise 2.5 or 3 times due to implementation of these plans, the president’s official website noted.

We will recall that Tajikistan has designed, approved and developed the National Development Strategy up to 2015 and the series of mid-term Poverty Reduction Strategies.  The country has completed the second and the third phases of the poverty reduction strategy (2007-2009 and 2010-2012) and has developed the Living Standards Improvement Strategy of Tajikistan for 2013−2015.

The Living Standards Improvement Strategy of Tajikistan for 2013-2015 years is a concluding phase of a decade of implementation of the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan up to 2015; it considers many issues related to achievement of many strategic objectives, such as reform of public administration, maintaining rule of law, demographic projection and planning, regulation of labor migration, development of private sector, supporting middle class.

In a report released at a press conference in Dushanbe, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sharif Rahimzoda noted on January 29 this year that the poverty rate is on a sustainable downward trend in Tajikistan and in 2012, the country’s poverty rate decreased to 38.3 percent.  In 2013, the poverty rate is expected to stand at 37 percent.