Labor Inspectorate warns against forcing employees to vote in the Open Budget project

Messages are actively circulating on social networks about the possibility of receiving monetary compensation for participating in voting on the Open Budget platform. The Ministry of Economic Development and International Trade (MinEconfin) issued a warning about fraudulent schemes and strongly urged citizens not to share personal information with unknown individuals.

According to the agency's information, such offers are being made through unofficial bots in the Telegram messenger. Scammers promise participants financial rewards or other material benefits for supporting specific projects, but after the vote is counted, the promised amount is never transferred. The ministry has already received numerous complaints from citizens regarding the non-payment of these funds.

MinEconfin emphasized that the voting process itself is free, and no material incentives are provided for it. Citizens can vote exclusively through the official Open Budget portal, its official mobile applications for Android and iOS operating systems, as well as through the official bot on Telegram.

It is reported that the second stage of Open Budget 2026 began on August 22 and is scheduled to end on August 31 at 23:59.

Uzbekistan has put forward a proposal to increase the size of fines for passengers using public transport without a corresponding ticket. Mukhammadjon Kakhorov, director of the state institution responsible for monitoring passenger transport in Tashkent, told O'zbekiston 24 that the fine for a first offense is set at 220,000 UZS, and for a repeat offense—440,000 UZS.

According to Kakhorov, the relevant proposals have already been developed and submitted to the Legislative Chamber for consideration. Currently, the fine for traveling without payment on trolleybuses, trams, as well as urban and suburban buses, is set at one-tenth of the basic calculation cost, which amounts to 41,200 UZS.

The proposed changes stipulate an increase in the fine to 220,000 UZS for the first instance and up to 440,000 UZS for a repeat offense. Thus, the presumed penalty for a repeat violation will exceed the current fine amount by more than ten times.

The need to strengthen liability for traveling without payment is enshrined in the Cabinet of Ministers decree of June 3, 2026. In accordance with this document, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Internal Affairs are obliged to prepare the relevant amendments to the legislation.

Furthermore, the new fare payment rules will come into effect on September 1 for passengers using buses operating under the gross contract system. Passengers will be required to pay immediately upon boarding the bus. If a passenger does not pay via a validator or does not provide proof of entitlement to a benefit, they will be considered a fare-free traveler.