At the end of April, during a session of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, due to the extraordinary circumstances in the country, instructed the optimisation of budget expenditure.
"We will cut budget expenditure in favour of the urgent tasks of eliminating the consequences of the floods. A regime of strict economy of state funds will be introduced in the country", the President stated.
In the run-up to the celebration of the 79th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, Tokayev's instruction gave local authorities reason to find alternative, less costly ways of holding celebratory events than in previous years.
The editorial board of FBRK set out to find out which events were held in honour of Victory Day in the regions of Kazakhstan, and how much money the akimats spent on them. In this regard, we sent corresponding official requests to state bodies.
To avoid any misunderstanding among readers, we note that we were interested in the expenditure specifically on the holding of celebratory events (concerts, firework displays, etc.), excluding payments and gifts to veterans and participants of the Great Patriotic War.
The majority of regions reported that the celebration was limited to the laying of flowers at monuments to those who fell at the front, holding round tables, exhibitions, remembrance evenings, online congratulations and other events that do not require the allocation of state funds.
For example, the Department of Culture, Language Development and Archives of Pavlodar Region reported that all events were held free of charge by its subordinate institutions.
In Zhambyl Region, veterans were congratulated in person, by visiting each one at home, and singing wartime songs under their windows, accompanied by a military orchestra provided by the regional command. It is noted that the regional akim also dropped in to visit the war veterans.
In the Sarkand, Karatal and Panfilov districts of the Zhetysu Region, the costs of the festive events were borne by local sponsors and entrepreneurs. However, some regions did still submit requests for the allocation of budget funds to hold the celebration.
For instance, according to the Department of Culture and Language Development of the city of Taldykorgan, laying flowers at the Glory Obelisk cost the city 1.38 million tenge, festive decorations cost 1.44 million, and staging for the event cost 850 thousand tenge.
In Mangystau Region, around 1.4 million tenge was allocated for the flower-laying ceremony in cities and districts. In Ust-Kamenogorsk, the 'Light a Candle' campaign cost 672 thousand tenge. And in West Kazakhstan Region, 600 thousand tenge was spent on the flower-laying ceremony.
Furthermore, it was previously reported that in all regions of Kazakhstan, veterans, participants of the Great Patriotic War and home front workers would receive a one-time social assistance payment in the form of cash disbursements.
It is clear that it was impossible to completely avoid allocating money from the state budget for such a significant holiday for the people of Kazakhstan. However, to give credit where it is due, maximum economy is evident. Thus, it can be stated that the President's instruction had the desired effect, without causing misunderstanding in society.