国际英语新闻:Kazakhstan to modernize over 3,000 villages by 2024

NUR-SULTAN, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Kazakhstan plans to modernize 3,477 villages by 2024 in accordance with new regional standards, making drinking water, repaired roads and basic social facilities available in the most remote rural areas, First Deputy Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov said Sunday at a Nur Otan Party session.

Addressing the session attended by representatives of regional branches of the ruling Nur Otan Party, Smailov said the party is aimed at improving quality of life and well-being of Kazakhstanis.

"The government has allocated a significant amount of funds to promote regional development. The party is tasked with providing direct feedbacks from people on the spending of the funds, and supervising the implementation of projects that directly affect Kazakh people," said Bauyrzhan Baibek, first deputy chairman of Nur Otan Party.

Deputy Prime Minister Berdibek Saparbayev said the country would continue to narrow the urban-rural gap in education and sports facilities and would increase salaries of teachers, cultural workers, doctors and nurses by more than 20 percent in 2020.