Last year, the villages of Choloq-Kayin and Konorchok, which belong to the Ala-Bugin rural district, as well as the village of Zhany-Tilek from the Kara-Burgon rural district, were included in the list of high-altitude settlements. However, residents of these villages claim that the coefficients established for high-altitude areas are not applied when calculating pensions and benefits.
Gulya Karbosova, a resident of Naryn, shared that she has spent over 22 years in a high-altitude area and lost her ability to work at the age of 50. “I was born in Konorchok, where I also studied. I am 49 years old, have three children, and a land share in Konorchok. I have lived in Naryn for 22 years, but now I cannot work due to health issues — I have heart and kidney diseases, high blood pressure, and anemia. I have 11 years of work experience, but I lack 4 years to retire. When I learned that Konorchok and Choloq-Kayin had become high-altitude villages, I was happy, hoping that I could retire based on my land share. However, at the Naryn territorial office of the Social Fund, I was told that the list had not yet arrived and the matter is under consideration. If the villages are included in the list, but the benefits do not apply, who benefits from this?” she shared.
Aysuluu Janylyshova, a resident of the village of Kosh-Dobo, also faced a similar problem. “I was born in Choloq-Kayin and have five children, but I have never officially worked. I have lived for 30 years in Kosh-Dobo and cannot retire because my birthplace was not previously classified as high-altitude. Although I spent 20 years in Choloq-Kayin and 30 years in high-altitude areas, my land share is registered in Choloq-Kayin. Many women face the same problem. Last year, Choloq-Kayin was included in the list of high-altitude villages, but this did not bring us any benefits. We hoped that we could retire, but there is still no clarity. Who will solve our problem?” she noted.
The administration of the Ak-Talinsky district explained that no changes have yet been made to the relevant decree, and the necessary orders have not been received. “According to the Cabinet of Ministers' decree dated October 23, 2025, No. 692, the villages of Zhany-Tilek, Konorchok, and Choloq-Kayin were included in the list of high-altitude settlements. Pension benefit issues are regulated by the government decree dated May 3, 2013, No. 235, which approves the list of settlements entitled to preferential pension provision. Currently, no changes have been made to decree No. 235, and no orders have been received from the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection, and Migration regarding wages and benefits,” the akimiat reported.
Additionally, residents of the villages of Ak-Kiya, Ak-Tal, Togolok Moldо, Zhany-Talap, Ügüt, and Baigönchök are also requesting to add their settlements to the list of high-altitude areas. According to them, the Ak-Talinsky district as a whole is considered high-altitude, but some villages have not been included in this list for unclear reasons, which they consider unfair.
