160 million KZT: Ministry of Health Seeks to Study Single Time Zone Impact

The Ministry of Health has submitted an application for a three-year research grant to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Orda.kz repots.

The project is about studying the impact of the new time zone on Kazakhstanis.

 The head of the Ministry of Science, Sayasat Nurbek, spoke about this on the sidelines of the Majilis.

The application was submitted for a three-year budget of 160 million tenge, but in reality it will be less, I think, at least by half, around 90-100 million. The meeting of the Supreme Scientific and Technical Commission took place literally yesterday. We will announce a competition, and the National Scientific Council will determine the actual cost,
 said the Minister.

The study will be conducted with the participation of several scientific institutes, Nurbek added.

I don't know the algorithm in detail because it's just an application (it's just been submitted - Ed). We'll see when the competition takes place. Several institutes will participate: the Institute of Physiology, the Institute of Geography. That is, most likely, some real research will be conducted there, not by survey method.

Journalists expressed doubts about the advisability of such expenses:

A public request has been received, so we have to respond. The Ministry of Health has been 100% supportive, and we, as a grant-giving organization, have supported it, Sayasat Nurbek said.

Meanwhile, Trade and Integration Minister Arman Shakkaliyev said that the time change in Kazakhstan restored historical justice. He recalled that the previous time zone was forcibly introduced in 1930–1931.

Original Author: Zhadra Zhulmukhametova