AKIPRESS.COM - Low-income families will be provided compensation for increased expenses for electricity and gas in Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Justice reports.

Families in need will be allocated a one-time compensation of 270,000 soums ($21) during the heating season (in November of this year).

The difference between prices within the "social norm" is compensated for the consumption of up to 250 cubic meters of gas and up to 150 kWh of electricity per month.

"To receive this compensation, citizens need to contact the Inson social service center. Compensations are paid by the National Agency for Social Protection at the expense of the state budget of Uzbekistan," Farrukh Pardaev, deputy head of the agency's department, said at a briefing on April 16.

The authorities will update the size of the minimum consumer spending, which are used to determine the poverty line in Uzbekistan, from May 1. The minimum consumer spending was increased from 568,000 to 621,000 soums per person (to almost $50) in January 2024. The "unscheduled" revision is associated with an increase in energy tariffs for the population, which will occur for the first time since August 2019. It will affect approximately 1 million residents of the country: the amounts of minimum pensions and benefits will be revised, which should not be lower than the new poverty line.