President?s Address to Nation discussed in Almaty

ALMATY. March 12. KAZINFORM /Daniyar Sikhimbayev/ Session on discussion of the President?s Address to the Nation of March 6, 2009 has been held today in Almaty today. Mayor of the city Akhmetzhan Yessimov took part in the session.

Deputies of the Maslikhat, members of municipal structures, budgetary spheres ? healthcare, education, and culture, reps of business, heads of energy complexes, political parties, youth organizations and NGOs took part in the session as well. According to A.Yessimov, the main purpose of the session is to specify the tasks in every sector of the economy that need to be addressed at the city level. First Deputy Mayor Maulen Mukashev noted that the President gave an objective assessment of the situation in the country and set a task to reduce the negative impacts of the crisis on the economy and social sphere. ?In accordance with the commissions of the Head of the State we must focus on the realization of the regional employment strategy and retraining of the personnel. 656 thousand people work in the sectors of the economy today, the majority of them are concentrated in such sectors as industry, construction, trade and services, healthcare, transportations and communication?, M.Mukashev said. ?The Kazakh Government identified seven areas of employment in the regional employment strategy. They are: increase of maximum period of welfare payments in case of loss of employment, expansion of the program of social works, financing of social projects, etc?, the Mayor said. He noted that the establishment of 21 thousand of working places will contribute to the increase of employment in 2009, the projects in infrastructure and construction spheres.