GENERAL INFORMATION

Settlement of Talas was founded in 1877 by the Russian and Ukrainian settlers in central part of Talas valley on the left bank of Talas river. The city is located in north-east part of Talas valley, 1280 meters above the sea level, on the flood land of Talas river.
City of Talas is the administrative center, which is located 360 kilometers to the west from Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, 90 kilometers east from the railway station Zhambyl (Kazakhstan) and 90 kilometers west from Bishkek-Osh highway. The climate is continental and dry. The highest average monthly temperature is in July and is +15+20 degrees C, the lowest average monthly temperature is in January and is -6-14 C. Annual precipitation is 300-400 mm.
POPULATION. The population is 34,5 thousand people or 16,8% of the oblast population. The latest data of census is as following: 28,8 thousand are ethnic Kyrgyz, 3,3 thousand ? Russians, 0,5 thousand ? Ukrainians, 0,4 thousand ? Uzbeks, 0,4 thousand ? Tatars and 1,1% are representatives of other ethnic groups.

• ECONOMY
• Industry

There are 363 enterprise and organizations registered in the city, they make up over 24% from the total number of enterprises in the region. Volume of industrial output makes up 75% from the total volume of the output produced in the region.
Processing the agricultural raw materials is the priority trend in the economic development. There are now 12 industrial enterprises, 3 construction organizations, 2 transportation enterprises, 231 small and medium enterprises, 5 communication and utility companies.

Structure of the economy in mln soms

Brief description of the industrial enterprises

As of today there are 6 mini bakeries on production of bread and bread products, 4 mini mills on production of flour of various grades, 2 furniture production shops, 6 power saw benches, 2 slaughter houses, 1 macaroni plant, 2 mini cheese plants, 2 sewing workshops etc. in town.
There are 231 small and medium enterprises registered in town. For 2003 they have produced the industrial output for 13,0 million soms, which makes up 16,5% of the gross commodity output ratio.

Economic potential of the city is being poorly utilized. The number of non operating enterprises is being gradually reduced. There is still a large number of operational squares of the workshops not being utilized. At the moment, JSC ?Azem? (former ?Promkombinat?), JSC ?Tunguch? (former ZhBI), JSC ?Cholpon? (former shoes factory) are not operating.
2.3. Assets in municipal property.

Municipal property has received 39 objects of social sphere, health care, utilities and other essential objects, with the balance value of 55,6 million soms.

Municipal property objects

2.4. Banks and other financial institutions
The city has the following financial institutions:

• Talas branch of the National Bank
• Talas branch of JSCB ?Kyrgyzstan?
• Talas branch of JSCB ?Kyrgyzpromstroibank?
• Talas branch of JSC ?Energobank?
• Talas branch of OTJSC RSK (Raschetno-Sberegatelnaya Kompania).

2.5. Employment of the population
Able bodied population of the city consists of 18500 people. At the moment, 628 people or 1,8% of the population have been officially registered in municipal employment center as unemployed.

Number of the unemployed

Number of the unemployed according to the municipal department of employment in 2003 was on the same level as in 2002. that is 486 people.
There has been set up ?Business incubator? on the basis of JSC ?Arashan? non operating facilities in order to provide social support to the unemployed citizens and to alleviate the unemployment effects. ?Business incubator? aims to create new workplaces through small and medium enterprises, to assist the beginning entrepreneurs and small producers. For example, on the basis of JSC ?Arashan? they have a joiner?s shop, which employs 4 persons and they produce chairs, tables, couches, there is also a sewing workshop on production of knit work, which employs 6 persons and a workshop on production of metal items, which employs 4 persons.

To assist the unemployed during the active search for a job, they pay unemployment allowances, they send the unemployed to do the paid public works, provide them with professional preparation and the unemployed also receive microcredits. From beginning of the year, 150 people have been placed on vacancies. There have been additionally created 360 workplaces:

In 2003, 43 unemployed have undergone professional preparation on the ?Computer literacy? and ?Small and medium entrepreneur? programs.
Two microcredit agencies have become more active. As of 01.01.04 there have been issued microcredits for 2143,3 thousand soms or 214,0 thousand soms more than in 2003. Moreover, there have been issued microcredits within the municipal employment center program for 870,5 thousand soms to support the unemployed citizens of the city.
Prognosis of the main measures on labor market

• LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE

City Council consist of 27 deputies. Chairman of the city Council ? 1, deputy of the chairman without a pay ? 1, out of 25 deputies, they have set up the following commissions:

• Commission on budget and finances ? 5 deputies, chairman of the commission is Shabdanov ?.M.;
• Commission on social issues ? 3 deputies, chairman of the commission is Doulbekov O.S.;
• Commission on mandate and deputies ethics ? 3 deputies, chairmain is Triboy N.S.;
• Commission on issues of communal property, construction and development of small and medium enterprise ? 5 deputies, chairman of the commission is Kartanbaev ?.?.;
• Commission on industry, trade, transportation, electricity and communication issues - 5 deputies, chairman of the commission is Aldashukurov ?.Zh.;
• Commission on lawfulness, law and order and local self-government ? 4 deputies, chairman of the commission is Baiteliev ?.?.

Organizations rendering public services in the city

Utility enterprises and organizations

MAJOR CHALLENGES:

• Further development of subdivisions of the territorial public bodies of local self-government, which may render utility services to the population.
• Creation and development of condominiums in town.

• PUBLIC SERVICES.
• Health care

The healthcare system has Family medicine center. Groups of family doctors (GFD) have been successfully working on territorial basis. They have also introduced co-payment for medicines, food and certain types of medical examination by the citizens.
Main indicators of the healthcare

MAJOR CHALLENGES:

• Poor material and technical basis of healthcare system
• Lack of the equipment necessary for the complete examination of the patients
• Lack of resources to purchase medicines and reagents.
• Education

The city has 9 secondary schools, Children?s educational center (CEC), 6 preschool institutions.

Children?s educational center under the Children?s Charity Fund ?Meerim? has 7 clubs with 350 students. Lately special emphasis is made on working with the groups of vulnerable children. All the schools have developed measures on implementation of ?New generation? national program. There are actions taken on attracting children to schools. Many of the children in need of material assistance receive material assistance like footwear or clothing.

Universities, technical colleges and community colleges

MAJOR CHALLENGES:

• Lack of computer labs;
• Inadequate number of textbooks and manuals;
• Lack of laboratory and practical equipment;
• Lack of the qualified personnel due to the low salary;
• Lack of fences around the territory of 4 schools;
• Lack of the basic athletic equipment.

• Culture and sports

In 1976 on the protected territory of the historical monument of architecture ?Manastyn Kumbozu?, they have set up literature and ethnography museum, in 1990 ? state museum-reservation ?Manas?, in 1996 regional complex ?Manas Ordo?. In 2001, the complex has been reorganized as National complex ?Manas Ordo? under the government of the Kyrgyz Republic. Total area of the complex is 225 hectares. Kyrgyz National Complex ?Manas Ordo? is situated 13 kilometers east from the city, on the bank of Kenkol river, next to the grand Manas mausoleum, which is the most ancient architectural structure of XII-XIV century. The complex is unique because construction of its objects is done in ethnical style. Entire Talas valley in perception of the people is covered with memoirs of the events captured in epical epos about the national hero ? Manas. Integral part of this beautiful valley is the archeological monuments, which are the evident witnesses of the far and away past. Burial mounds, stone figures and rock drawings are among the various memorials of the past. There is also more than a dozen of runic writing and of petrography monuments.

The town has 3 libraries, a musical school, 2 cinemas that are in municipal property. Municipal libraries? personnel is 14 people, number of the users is 2190 people, attendance is 29120 readers a year. Libraries have various stands, book displays. In total they have 13113 books.

Talas keeps the history of various material and spiritual cultural memorials. One of the unique memorials is Manas mausoleum, which is the cultural heritage of the Kyrgyz people and of the Talas oblast residents, in 1995 next to this memorial they have built ?Manas-Ordo? complex. Main objects of the complex are memorial of ancient culture ?Manas mausoleum?, ancient places of burial, grave stones, ancient historical stones. There are burial sites of saks and usun cultures, catacombs of Kengol burials.

The complex is unique because construction of its objects is done in ethnical style. Entire Talas valley in perception of the people is covered with memoirs of the events captured in epical epos about the national hero ? Manas. Integral part of this beautiful valley is the archeological monuments, which are the evident witnesses of the far and away past. Burial mounds, stone figures and rock drawings are among the various memorials of the past. There is also more than a dozen of runic writing and of petrography monuments.

Most of the athletes in town are young people under 25. They play in 4 gyms of secondary schools, technical college and sport complex. There are approximately 6 soccer fields, volleyball and basketball playgrounds in town. According to the calendar plan, they hold city championships among the enterprises and institutions of the city as well as among the college students.
MAJOR CHALLENGES:

• Inadequate material and technical basis of the sport complex.



Development strategy



DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR THE CITY OF TALAS for 2004 ? 2012.

1. INFRASTRUCTURE AND CITY ECONOMY		2. ACHIEVING PROSPERITY AND welfare THROUGH HARD AND indefatigable WORK AND attainments
1.1. Infrastructure		2.1. Development of entrepreneurial activity
1.2. Housing stock		2.2. Development of fiscal institutions and security market
1.3. Transport and roads		2.3. Providing energy supplies
1.4. Involvement and turnover of the municipal property		2.4. Processing of agricultural goods and production of ecologically pure goods
		2.5. Providing paid services
		2.6. Education and youth policy
		2.7. Healthcare
3. inter-ethnic consent, cooperation and patriotism	4. MODERN local self-government and the appearance of the city		5. HARMONY WITH THE NATURE
3.1. Cultural development	4.1. Development of local self-government		5.1. Protecting the nature
3.2. Development of community organizations	4.2. Strengthening of local self-government		5.2. Development of recreation services
3.3. Development of relations within the community	4.3. Ensuring public law and order		5.3. Development of tourism
3.4. Development of external relations	4.4. Creating modern architectural appearance of the city

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