Taking good care of ethnic minority communities.

Over the years, the material and spiritual lives of ethnic minority communities in Soc Trang province have continuously improved and undergone many positive changes. Mr. Lam Hoang Mau, Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religion of Soc Trang province, discussed this issue with a reporter from SGGP newspaper.

Mr. Lam Hoang Mau, Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions of Soc Trang Province

* REPORTER: Could you give us an overall assessment of the living conditions of ethnic minority communities in the province?

- Mr. LAM HOANG MAU : The entire province of Soc Trang currently has 27 ethnic minority groups, with over 424,900 people, accounting for 35.45% of the population (the Khmer ethnic group has 361,929 people, accounting for 30.19%; the Hoa ethnic group has 62,541 people, accounting for 5.22%; other ethnic groups have 444 people, accounting for 0.04%). The ethnic minority people live interspersed with, united and closely connected with the Kinh people; they trust in the leadership of the Party and comply well with the policies and laws of the State.

Furthermore, in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, socio-cultural activities have made significant progress; infrastructure is increasingly improved, especially rural transportation; the number of households using electricity is increasing; and educational and medical facilities are being upgraded and newly built. This has led to a transformation of the rural landscape in ethnic minority areas, and the economic situation and living standards of the people are constantly improving. By the end of 2024, the poverty rate among ethnic minorities had decreased to 1.7%, and the near-poverty rate to 5.92%.

* What programs and policies has the province implemented recently to care for ethnic minority communities?

- With attention and support from the Central Government, in recent years, the provincial Party committees and authorities have focused on leading and directing the effective implementation of the Party and State's policies and guidelines for ethnic minority areas, especially the restructuring of the agricultural and rural sectors. The National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction has supported poor and near-poor households to participate in livelihood diversification projects, agricultural production development projects; provided preferential credit; and implemented health insurance for poor and near-poor households.

Simultaneously, the implementation of the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority areas has yielded very positive results. The total allocated capital for the 2021-2024 period was approximately 918 billion VND, which has been used to implement numerous projects and sub-projects such as: support for land and housing, vocational retraining; construction of water supply and production facilities; implementation of various models to support production development and diversify community livelihoods; construction and upgrading of facilities in ethnic minority boarding schools; and training for ethnic minority officials and civil servants. As a result, the lives of people in ethnic minority areas have gradually improved.

To date, 100% of communes in ethnic minority areas of the province have paved roads leading to their centers; approximately 80% of hamlets and villages in ethnic minority areas have roads accessible by car; 100% of communes in the province have solid school buildings and maintain the standard of universal primary education; and 100% of communes, wards, and towns meet the National Criteria for Commune Health.

The Khmer people of Soc Trang joyfully celebrate the Ooc Om Boc Festival - the traditional Ngo boat race.

* To build upon the achievements and overcome the limitations, what solutions will the province propose in the coming period, sir?

- In the coming period, the province will continue to strengthen propaganda work in ethnic minority areas, consolidate the trust of the people in the Party and the State, and raise awareness against the schemes of hostile forces exploiting ethnic and religious issues. It will ensure sustainable development in ethnic minority areas, linked to poverty reduction, improving the material and spiritual lives of the people; gradually narrowing the gap in living standards compared to developed areas; preserving and promoting the beautiful cultural identity of ethnic groups, contributing to combating social evils; raising the general level of education, training human resources, especially ethnic minority cadres, to meet the requirements of development in the new period.

Focus on implementing socio-economic development policies for ethnic minority areas, aiming for sustainable development and leveraging the advantages and potential of each region and area, as well as the self-reliance of ethnic minorities; consolidate national unity in conjunction with building a clean and strong political system at the grassroots level; continue to build a team of influential individuals and key personnel in ethnic minority areas; strengthen the development and replication of advanced models in various fields to promptly replicate successful models for economic, cultural, social, security, and defense development at the local level.

Thank you for this exchange .

Performed by Tuan Quang

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/cham-lo-tot-cho-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-post800903.html