Navoi pensioners report receiving part of their payments in small denomination coins

Blogger Umid Gofurov shared the video on his Telegram channel, where a concerned individual describes how a portion of his 82-year-old grandfather’s pension was paid in coins.

“My grandfather is 82 years old. When he received his pension, part of it was given in 200-UZS coins. Even middle-aged people struggle to count so many coins, let alone the elderly. My grandfather couldn’t use them and brought them home with some difficulty. I ask the pension distributors: may you live to that age too, but please take into account the eyesight and age of the elderly and avoid causing them distress. It’s hard for seniors to use so many coins,” the man said in the video.

Kun.uz contacted the video’s author to clarify the situation.

It turned out that the incident took place in the Karmana district of Navoi region. The pensioner was given 170 coins of 200 UZS — totaling 34,000 UZS — as part of his pension.

“This isn’t the first time. For four months now, part of my grandfather’s pension has been given in coins. Since I work in retail, he brings them to me and asks me to exchange them for banknotes. While it may not be a huge amount, it’s still a burden for the elderly. It’s not just him — other pensioners are also receiving part of their pensions in coins. Coins are legal tender in Uzbekistan, so no one has the right to refuse them or ask not to receive them. Maybe the banks are distributing coins to reduce their surplus — I have no objection to the banks. I just wish they would consider the age of the elderly. It’s difficult for those with poor eyesight to count coins. Younger or middle-aged people can refuse coins at the bank, but seniors can’t. I was so embarrassed when I took the 34,000 UZS in coins from my grandfather that I just gave him 50,000 UZS in bills,” the video author said.

Earlier, it was reported that a man in Sharof Rashidov district of Jizzakh region paid off a 4 million UZS alimony debt in coins. He admitted that his goal was to cause inconvenience to his ex-wife. However, the coins were counted with the help of bank staff and then deposited into the mother’s bank card.