President criticizes sluggish leaders: “Some still haven’t woken up”

President criticizes sluggish leaders: “Some still haven’t woken up”

During a videoconference meeting held on April 24 of this year, the head of state noted that Uzbekistan has risen 14 places in the “Index of Economic Freedom” and for the first time entered the list of “moderately free” countries as an important result. The President criticized some leaders and noted that, unfortunately, those who receive salaries without working are “riding on the same train” as those who work. It was also announced at the meeting that by the end of the first quarter, gross domestic product had grown by 8.7 percent, industry by 8 percent, services by 16.1 percent, and agriculture by 5.1 percent. It was noted that exports amounted to $5.8 billion, foreign investment by $13.7 billion, and annual inflation had decreased to 7.1 percent. In addition, it was recognized that budget revenues in the first quarter increased by 35 percent compared to the previous year, reaching 103 trillion soums, and an additional 2.2 trillion soums were generated in local budgets. Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted that it would be a mistake to limit oneself to positive indicators only in the first quarter.