Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the National Conference to review the National Target Program on Socio -Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2025 period and orientations for the 2026-2030 period - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

On the morning of August 13, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a national conference to review the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2025 period and orient the content for the 2026-2030 period.

The conference was held directly at the Government headquarters, online with 34 provinces and cities nationwide. Co-chairing the conference were comrades: Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Do Van Chien; Politburo member, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, Head of the Central Steering Committee for National Target Programs; Party Central Committee member, Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh; Party Central Committee member, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Vu Hong Thanh. Attending the conference were leaders of departments, ministries, branches, central agencies; leaders of provinces and cities; ambassadors, representatives of international organizations in Vietnam.

Average income of people increased 3.3 times

Reports and opinions at the conference all emphasized that this is a program of profound political, economic and social significance, and is a major policy of our Party and State for the rapid and sustainable development of the country.

During this term, the Government, ministries and branches have promptly developed and completed policies and institutions to implement the Program. Immediately after the National Assembly's Resolution 120 was issued, the Steering Committee directed the Ethnic Committee (now the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions) and ministries and branches to advise the Prime Minister to approve the Program's Investment Decision; at the same time, it completed the review, development, promulgation/submission of regulations, policies and mechanisms, and guidelines for the organization of project implementation, sub-projects, and component contents.

The Prime Minister has directed to allocate about 160,000 billion VND for the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas in the coming period - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Pursuant to Resolution 108/2023/QH15 on the National Assembly's supreme supervision of the three national target programs, the Government submitted to the National Assembly for approval Resolution 111/2024/QH15 on a number of specific mechanisms and policies and Resolution 142/2024/QH15 agreeing to adjust a number of contents related to the investment policy of the Program.

The Government and the Prime Minister have directed ministries and branches to issue documents (22 documents, including: 1 Government decree; 4 decisions of the Prime Minister; 17 documents of ministries and central agencies) to stipulate supplements and amendments to mechanisms and policies, and guidelines for implementation to remove difficulties and obstacles for missing or inappropriate contents, strengthen decentralization, simplify administrative procedures, enhance publicity and transparency, invest and use capital with focus and key points, not spread out or prolonged.

The program has basically achieved and exceeded 6/9 of the set goals and target groups, although the implementation was delayed by 1.5 years due to the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and 2025 is not yet over, including core goals with practical value: Poverty reduction rate (by the end of phase I, the poverty rate in ethnic minority areas is expected to decrease by an average of nearly 3.2%/year, while the Plan target is over 3%, higher than the general poverty reduction rate of the whole country); average income of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas (expected to reach 45.9 million VND by the end of 2025, an increase of 3.3 times compared to 2020 - the target is to increase by over 2 times); education; workers of working age are trained in vocational training (expected to reach 57.8% for the whole phase - target > 50%); preservation and development of good traditional cultural values and identities of ethnic groups; strengthen medical work

These results have made important and significant contributions to the completion of many common goals of the whole country ahead of schedule in recent times, such as: Sustainable poverty reduction, job creation and increasing people's income; The Program has completed more than 200% ahead of schedule the Program's goal of eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses in the most difficult areas, the "poor core" of the whole country.

Some new targets have achieved initial results but create important premises for the next phase, such as: Solving the shortage of residential land, housing, production land, and domestic water; supporting the protection of nearly 1.48 million hectares of special-use forests and protective forests for nearly 323,800 households; investing in renovating thousands of traffic works, small irrigation works, electricity, cultural, educational, and medical institutions, etc.

According to the resolutions of the National Assembly and the Government, the total capital to implement the Program for the 2021-2025 period is over 137,000 billion VND. The Program has achieved a fairly high disbursement rate among national target programs in general, nearly 1.03 times higher than the total capital of the two remaining national target programs in the same period. This is a very important result, affirming the sense of responsibility of all levels and sectors who dare to think, dare to do, and are not afraid of difficulties, all for the sake of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas.

The program received high consensus and active participation from the entire political system, especially ethnic minorities and mountainous areas, especially in economic development. Creating a change in awareness, changing the "thinking and working style" of the people, enhancing economic power, eliminating gender stereotypes and prejudices, giving opportunities for women and girls to affirm their roles in the family and participate in building and developing the community; taking advantage of natural conditions to gradually develop precious medicinal herb growing areas, supporting development along the value chain, starting businesses, starting businesses from medicinal herbs, and increasing people's income.

Propaganda work has been promoted, especially typical advanced examples, good and effective models in production, business and tourism development, contributing to changing awareness, actions and improving people's knowledge.

The program has contributed to strengthening people's trust in the Party and State, continuing to consolidate and build strong grassroots political nuclei and systems, maintaining political security, social order and safety, ensuring national border security, building a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development; consolidating and strengthening the great solidarity bloc of ethnic groups.

Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Do Van Chien speaks at the conference - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

In addition to the achieved results, there are still 3/9 target groups that have not met the plan, including: Improving technical infrastructure, social infrastructure in extremely difficult communes and villages; number of communes and villages out of extremely difficult areas; settlement work, basically solving the shortage of residential land and production land for people. The risk of falling back into poverty is high and the standard of living is not sustainable, especially in areas with high risk of natural disasters; services are not yet developed, people still have a mentality of waiting and relying on others.

The process of issuing some guiding documents and regulations on the implementation of mechanisms and policies at the central level is still prolonged, causing certain difficulties for the implementation of the Program. Some localities are still confused in the implementation process; the team of cadres and civil servants directly implementing the program at the grassroots level is still lacking and weak (mostly holding concurrent positions); some civil servants and leaders are afraid of making mistakes and being responsible.

Create a trend and movement determined to eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, and strive to become rich

In his concluding remarks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh acknowledged and highly appreciated the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government Office, ministries, branches and localities for their careful and thoughtful preparation for the conference and their enthusiastic and practical opinions at the conference; assigned the Government Office to synthesize and issue a Concluding Notice in the spirit of "6 clear" as a basis for ministries and branches to implement.

Basically agreeing with the reports and opinions, the Head of the Government summarized 8 aspects of the Program's implementation over the past time: Correct and accurate policies; Party's ideas are in line with people's wishes; policies go hand in hand with budget; decisions go hand in hand with propaganda and mobilization; people agree, businesses support, the army and police participate actively and effectively; access to education, health care, and culture is more equal; development is more inclusive, comprehensive, and sustainable; the material and spiritual life of people in ethnic minority and mountainous areas is improved.

Regarding the guiding viewpoint and awareness, the Prime Minister emphasized that the development of the socio-cultural economy in ethnic minority and mountainous areas is not only the responsibility and obligation of the entire political system, of all levels and sectors... but also a deep sentiment, a command from the heart, of great humanity, affirming national love, compatriotism, leaving no one behind; therefore, no matter how difficult it is, it must be done, the more pressure, the more effort, and if done, it must have specific, measurable results.

Leaders of ministries, sectors, central agencies; leaders of provinces and cities; ambassadors, representatives of international organizations in Vietnam... attended the conference - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

On behalf of General Secretary To Lam, leaders of the Party, State, and Government, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh commended the contributions and acknowledged the results achieved in Phase I (2021-2025) of the entire political system, all levels, sectors, and localities.

In addition to the achieved results, the Prime Minister pointed out that there are still shortcomings and limitations that need to be frankly acknowledged: The program is still fragmented, divided, lacking focus and key points; decentralization and delegation of power are not thorough; administrative procedures are still cumbersome, increasing compliance costs; the self-reliance and self-reliance of a part of the people is not high, the risk of falling back into poverty is high; leadership and direction, especially of the heads of some localities, units and agencies, are not really focused and exemplary.

The Prime Minister emphasized a number of important lessons: Determination must be high, efforts must be great, actions must be drastic, investments must be focused, each task must be completed and completed; the participation and coordination between agencies, units and localities in the political system must be synchronous, close, consistent and effective, especially the leaders; the implementation organization must always stick to reality, always innovate thinking, approaches and actions must be drastic; create trends and movements among the people in the determination to eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, and rise up to become rich from their own hands, minds, land, sky and sea.

In the coming time, in the context of many difficulties and challenges from subjective and objective causes, the Prime Minister emphasized that the general goal is to be more proactive, to concretize the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, the leadership and direction of the Politburo, the Secretariat, and General Secretary To Lam to continuously improve the material and spiritual life of people in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, each year must be higher than the previous year, each term must be higher than the previous term; to create a movement and trend of people being self-reliant, self-reliant, escaping poverty and getting rich.

Regarding specific goals, the Prime Minister asked the agencies to calculate further but the orientation is to ensure equal access to education, healthcare, culture, access to the country's resources; create more jobs and livelihoods for the people; the goals must be practical, specific, feasible and easy to understand, easy to do, easy to check, monitor, evaluate and with the spirit of not leaving anyone behind in the process of national development.

Delegate Vu A Ly (Van Ho commune, Son La) presented the Prime Minister with green vegetables produced by the company - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Allocate about 150,000-160,000 billion VND in the next 5 years

The Prime Minister pointed out 10 key tasks and solutions in the coming time.

Firstly, continue to raise awareness, identify investment in ethnic minority and mountainous areas as investment for development, not only a responsibility and obligation but also must be done with all feelings, heart, national love, compatriotism, sharing, noble humanity, highest determination, "thinking honestly, speaking honestly, doing honestly, real effectiveness, people benefiting truly".

Second, continue to perfect institutions, mechanisms, policies, concretize the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, and organize synchronous implementation by the entire political system, Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations. Maintain the independence of the national target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, ensuring equality but paying special attention to vulnerable ethnic groups.

Third, balance and allocate priority resources for the program in the next 5 years, expected to increase by about 10-15% of the budget (about 150,000-160,000 billion VND, compared to 137 billion VND of this term); mobilize central, local and other legal resources; the central government allocates resources and strengthens inspection and supervision, assigns local decisions, local actions, and local responsibilities.

The Prime Minister stated that resources will be focused on a number of tasks: Creating jobs and livelihoods for people; ensuring equal access to healthcare, culture, education, especially primary healthcare, preventive healthcare; consolidating schools, including schools for 248 border communes; developing infrastructure for transportation, telecommunications, electricity, water, ensuring sustainability in development. Paying attention to human resources, arranging doctors and teachers.

Fourth, there are mechanisms and policies to develop and strengthen connections between ethnic minorities and between ethnic minorities and the Kinh community; form and link cooperatives and enterprises, develop business households into enterprises, develop small enterprises into large enterprises; focus on developing and applying science and technology, innovation and digital transformation.

Fifth, develop and invest in projects to respond to climate change and prevent natural disasters (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment presides); develop practical and specific social security programs that closely follow the actual situation. Continue to implement the program of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice in the Mekong Delta.

Sixth, linking socio-economic development with ensuring national defense and security, building a solid national defense posture, a people's security posture, and a solid people's trust posture; promoting the prestige and pioneering role of village elders, village chiefs, religious dignitaries, and prestigious people. Investing the budget for tasks assigned by the Party and the State.

Seventh, there is a priority policy and investment in implementing the Politburo's "four pillars" resolutions (on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation, digital transformation; private economic development; law making and enforcement; international integration) and resolutions about to be issued by the Politburo on education, health, etc.

Eighth, preserve, conserve and promote the culture imbued with national identity, the languages and writings of ethnic groups, contributing to the development of the cultural industry and entertainment industry, turning culture into resources, heritage into assets, and allowing people to enjoy culture more.

Ninth, build a priority credit package for sustainable poverty reduction and enrichment, have a priority fiscal policy on land access, taxes, fees, charges, etc.

Tenth, design measurement tools to monitor the implementation of the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, the direction of the Government, the Prime Minister, ministries and branches, and the participation of localities.

The Prime Minister emphasized that for ethnic minority and mountainous areas facing many difficulties, there must be mechanisms, priority policies, institutional improvements, and appropriate resource allocation; thinking must be clear, determination must be high, efforts must be great, actions must be drastic, close to reality, innovative thinking, and appropriate, flexible, and effective approaches.

The Prime Minister believes that the second phase of the program will be done better, achieving the goal that the material and spiritual life of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas will be better next year than the previous year, and higher in each term than the previous term, leaving no one behind in the process of rapid, sustainable, inclusive and comprehensive development of the country.

According to baochinhphu.vn

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-tri-xa-hoi/theo-dong-thoi-su/co-chinh-sach-uu-tien-nguon-luc-uu-tien-tin-dung-uu-tien-voi-vung-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-va-mien-nui-156660.html