Cao Bang prioritizes resources to improve people's lives

Aiming to increase the income of ethnic minorities and reduce the poverty rate by at least 4% by 2025, Cao Bang province prioritizes mobilizing and effectively using resources from the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development for Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas; this is a key driving force to help the province complete essential infrastructure, develop sustainable livelihood models and enhance the value of key products.

Focus on building essential infrastructure and stabilizing the population

Starting from a mountainous province with many difficulties, Cao Bang always focuses on effectively integrating ethnic policies, especially the national target program for socio -economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. The work of reviewing beneficiaries, providing credit support, and providing technical guidance is implemented uniformly from the province to the grassroots; people are consulted on appropriate investment plans, promoting career conversion based on exploiting the potential and advantages of each locality.

The province has put hundreds of OCOP products on e-commerce platforms, creating a stable market and increasing income for people. Photo: Kim Thoa

In the period of 2021 - 2025, Cao Bang was allocated more than 5,776 billion VND by the Central Government for Program 1719, including over 2,679 billion VND of investment capital, more than 3,122 billion VND of public service capital and nearly 289 billion VND of local counterpart capital. From this resource, the province implemented 10 component projects with 14 sub-projects and more than 60 key activities, focusing on building essential infrastructure, stabilizing the population, developing livelihoods, ensuring social security and preserving culture associated with tourism development.

Essential infrastructure has been greatly improved: 70% of villages and hamlets have paved roads to the center; 100% of health stations have been solidified; 80% of villages have community houses. Along with that, the province has distributed 13,000 water tanks, completed 53 centralized water works and relocated residents in many necessary areas.

Thanks to the synchronous investment in infrastructure and the gradual expansion of livelihoods, people's lives are increasingly improved; Mr. Trieu Van Hon, Nam Quang commune said that previously, many roads to the hamlet were mainly dirt roads, but now they have been concreted; people are supported with livestock and seedlings to develop the economy. "We have great confidence in the policies of the Party and the State, always encouraging each other to unite to build a new life" - Mr. Hon expressed.

Along with infrastructure, Cao Bang also focuses on developing sustainable production; the province has implemented nearly 1,000 projects to support key crops and livestock; brought hundreds of OCOP products such as black jelly, sausage, chestnuts, dong vermicelli, Phuc Sen knives, essential oils... to e-commerce platforms, creating a stable market and increasing income for people. Thanks to that, the average poverty rate has decreased by 4-5% per year; to date, the poverty rate in ethnic minority areas has decreased to 4.66%.

Speed ​​up capital disbursement progress

According to the Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, Be Dang Khoa, the 1719 Program is a key resource to help Cao Bang complete essential infrastructure in extremely difficult areas and give people a "fishing rod" through livelihood models. To achieve the goal by the end of 2025, the average income of ethnic minorities will increase by 2 times compared to 2024, the poverty rate among ethnic minorities will decrease by 4% or more each year; the province will prioritize building credit packages to serve poverty reduction, develop cooperatives and increase the value of key products.

Along with that, Cao Bang province focuses on restoring and developing traditional craft villages, building large-scale production value chains to preserve cultural identity, create jobs and increase income for ethnic minorities. At the same time, the inspection and supervision of the use of funding sources has been strengthened, especially for tasks of supporting livelihoods and creating jobs; improving health, education and cultural infrastructure; developing transport, telecommunications, electricity and water infrastructure in a synchronous and sustainable manner.

In the context of the province merging administrative units, although there were many issues that needed to be adjusted such as reallocating capital, transferring tasks from district to commune level or perfecting the grassroots staff, Cao Bang proactively took early action and directed strongly to ensure the program operated smoothly.

Based on the identification of the Socio-Economic Development Program for Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas as one of the main capital sources for development, the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions will continue to closely coordinate with relevant sectors to perfect the mechanism and provide specific instructions to remove obstacles in the implementation process; at the same time, strengthen training and foster management and operational capacity for commune-level officials, helping newly merged localities quickly stabilize their organizations and effectively carry out assigned tasks. The focus of the province's support in this period is on the urgent needs of ethnic minorities such as domestic water, transport infrastructure and sustainable livelihood models.

“The province strives to disburse at least 85% of the capital for the Socio-Economic Development Program for Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas this year; at the same time, it proposes that the Central Government allow the extension of the capital implementation period from 2025 to 2026, creating conditions for the merged units to have enough time to complete their organization and speed up the progress,” said Be Dang Khoa, Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/cao-bang-uu-tien-nguon-luc-nang-cao-doi-song-dong-bao-10397412.html