On 4 September, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Leader of the Nation, Honorable Emomali Rahmon, officially inaugurated the State Institution “Khatlon Regional Public Library named after Shamsiddin Shohin” in the city of Bokhtar following its renovation and digitalization.

The Khatlon Regional Public Library was established in 2011. In preparation for the grand celebration of the 35th anniversary of the State Independence of the Republic of Tajikistan, and within the framework of the declaration of 2026–2030 as the “Years of Reading Culture in Khatlon Province,” the library was fully renovated and modernized by the regional executive authority at a cost of 7 million somoni.

This major centre of science and culture houses more than 400,000 books and other information resources in Tajik, Russian, and English, of which 100,000 copies constitute children’s literature.

The library’s reading halls and departments have been equipped with modern technology, including 100 computers and tablets connected to the Internet. The library’s digital repository contains 2 million copies of literature covering various fields, as well as works of fiction, with extensive electronic capabilities.

The Leader of the Nation, Emomali Rahmon, was informed that, following its renovation and modernization, the library had been transformed into a modern innovation centre.

Using artificial intelligence technologies, the library provides rapid information searches, recommendations of literature based on readers’ interests and preferences, content analysis and other efficient services through the national electronic “Kitobdor” application, which was developed at the library.

This innovative project has been launched in the Republic of Tajikistan for the first time and may subsequently serve as a model of best practice for the development of modern libraries in other cities and districts of the country.

A Presidential Mediatheque of the Republic of Tajikistan has also been established at this centre of science and learning, comprising more than 5,000 multimedia materials. Its main purpose is to provide a dedicated collection of official State documents and materials related to the activities of the Leader of the Nation, Emomali Rahmon, the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan.

During his conversation with library staff, President Emomali Rahmon commended the modernization and digitalization of this centre of knowledge and learning and emphasized that, over the 35 years of independence, the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan has regarded the development of the traditions of librarianship and reading as one of the important areas of cultural policy, stressing that books are a treasure of human civilization.

At this centre of learning, 35 employees are engaged in activities aimed at encouraging members of society to read and at enhancing their knowledge, wisdom, and education.

At the same venue, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, remotely inaugurated seven facilities of various purposes in the city of Bokhtar and the districts of Kushoniyon and Jaloliddini Balkhi.

The Leader of the Nation, Emomali Rahmon, was informed that these facilities include the new building of the Department of the Social Insurance and Pension Agency in Khatlon Province, providing 65 jobs; the building of the Department of the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Khatlon Province, with a personnel complement of 1,400; and the Anisa Hotel in Tursunzoda neighbourhood, with 50 beds and 20 jobs.

In addition, the administrative and educational-practical building of the Bokhtar Medical College and Secondary School No. 74, designed for 500 students studying in two shifts in Shurazamin village of Navoi rural community in Jaloliddini Balkhi district, were commissioned. The facilities provide favourable conditions for education and upbringing, as well as modern technologies and specialized classrooms.

As part of the implementation of the fourth national strategic objective — the accelerated industrialization of the country — the Leader of the Nation, Emomali Rahmon, remotely inaugurated an asphalt and concrete plant in Bokhtarion settlement with a production capacity of 2,500 tonnes per day and 20 jobs, as well as a plant producing special powder for asphalt in Kushoniyon district, with a production capacity of 240 tonnes per day and 15 jobs.

President Emomali Rahmon described the constructive initiatives of entrepreneurs as patriotic and exemplary actions and emphasized that serious attention must be paid to product quality, while the scope of the enterprises’ activities should be expanded and the number of jobs increased in the future.