Poverty reduction milestones in Lang Son

In recent years, poverty reduction work in Lang Son province has received attention, implemented synchronously and promptly, bringing a prosperous life to many poor and near-poor households.

Border guards help build and repair houses for people.

Positive change

The direction of the Steering Committee for National Target Programs from the provincial to communal levels is timely and in accordance with regulations. Based on assigned tasks, members proactively advise Party committees and authorities at all levels to direct the allocation of funds, organize implementation, inspect and supervise the implementation of projects and sub-projects.

With the determination, drastic, creative and flexible leadership and direction of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Council, the Provincial People's Committee of Lang Son, the participation of the entire political system; Party committees and authorities at all levels, many programs and plans for the entire period of 2021-2025 and annually have been issued to innovate poverty reduction work, arouse the aspiration to build a prosperous life of the people and promote the comprehensive strength of the entire political system in poverty reduction in the new conditions. Specialized departments and branches have actively and proactively advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue plans to implement resolutions and programs, mechanisms and policies on poverty reduction according to regulations. The Central Government's policies are fully and promptly implemented, along with the issuance of Resolutions, Programs, Plans and specific policies of the province, contributing to promptly solving the basic problems of poor households, near-poor households, poor villages and communes in terms of housing, residential land, production land, medical examination and treatment, education, loans, infrastructure, etc.

The results of resource mobilization are focused. Although the economic conditions are still difficult, Lang Son province has paid attention to allocating a part of the budget to implement counterpart contents such as credit, infrastructure construction, especially special support policies. The use of mobilized capital ensures the right purpose, the right target, contributing to the good implementation of social security policies, improving the lives of a part of the poor households, people in especially difficult areas, safe zones, and borders.

Attention has been paid to the dissemination, dissemination and implementation of the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction for the 2021-2025 period, with a focus on replicating and introducing typical individuals, groups and households with the will to escape poverty. The awareness of the political system and local people about poverty reduction has been raised, creating consensus, support, encouragement and motivation for many households to strive to escape poverty. Periodic reporting, monitoring and evaluation work has been seriously and effectively implemented, thereby creating a basis for timely adjustment and supplementation of targets and tasks, and removing and resolving difficulties and problems arising during the implementation process.

Policies to support the poor have been well implemented, such as: support for health insurance cards for the poor and ethnic minorities, support for electricity bills, etc. Hunger relief work during the harvest season has been effectively implemented, contributing to helping the poor stabilize their lives, feel secure to boost production, increase income, and reduce poverty.

The total capital plan for the National Target Program on Poverty Reduction for the 2021-2025 period is 1,149,183 million VND, the total disbursed capital for the 2021-2024 period is 680,231 million VND, the estimated disbursement in 2025 is 273,421 million VND, reaching 100% of the capital plan.

Some highlights in the 2021-2024 period are investment in developing socio-economic infrastructure in poor (former) districts: Van Quan, Binh Gia with 120 projects in fields such as transportation, irrigation, electricity, education, medical facilities, cultural houses, sports fields... Nearly 300 livelihood models create conditions for poor and near-poor households to participate, improve their income, and improve their lives. Typical are models of raising buffaloes, cows, pigs, goats, horses; raising fish, chickens, ducks; models of planting and forestry. It is expected to increase the average income from livestock by at least 30% and earn a profit of 30 - 50 million VND/household each year.

Through the Project on Developing Vocational Education and Sustainable Employment, the provision of labor market information, diversification of job transaction activities, connection of labor supply and demand, and support for creating sustainable jobs for workers in poor and near-poor households have achieved positive results.

In the 2021 - 2024 period, 922 houses for poor and near-poor households have been newly built and repaired. Ms. Hoang Thi Ti in Loc Binh commune was excited to receive support to build a new, spacious house because she no longer had to worry about her dilapidated, leaky house, which was at risk of collapsing during storms. The effective implementation of poverty reduction policies has contributed to building people's trust in the Party and the government, contributing to social stability, ensuring national defense and security. Inspection and supervision work has been strengthened, poverty reduction policies have been effective; any cases of errors discovered in the review of poor households have been corrected and directed appropriately.

Ms. Hoang Thi Ti in Loc Binh commune shares her joy when living in her new house.

Still difficult and limited

The annual poverty reduction rate basically meets and exceeds the target and plan, but is not sustainable and uneven among communes and towns. The indicators of basic social service shortages are still high, especially the indicators of housing, hygienic toilets and employment indicators directly related to people's income. The rate of near-poor households reduction is still low, with a high risk of falling back into poverty.

The disbursement rate of projects and sub-projects is still low because some activities have not been implemented, the beneficiaries are fewer than the allocated funds, and there are duplicate beneficiaries. The use of preferential capital sources to support production development, credit, job creation, and replication of poverty reduction models is still scattered, lacking focus, and has not yet fully promoted its effectiveness. The coordination, mobilization, and integration of programs, projects, and resources are not much, and the internal resources have not been exploited to effectively implement programs and projects at the local level.

Propaganda work is not focused, focused, and flexible. A part of poor households is slow to change their awareness in thinking and doing, still have the mindset of waiting and relying on State support, not actively and proactively making efforts to escape poverty and get rich legitimately. The ability to receive support policies of ethnic minorities, the awareness of people in receiving and applying advances in science and technology in production is still limited, not escaping the habit of small-scale production, purely agricultural in production development.

Along with that, the direction of implementing tasks and solutions to reduce poverty at the grassroots level in some places is not really drastic, lacking in depth, initiative and creativity. Some regulations and implementation guidelines issued by the Government and ministries and branches are not detailed, slow, not suitable to the actual conditions of the locality and have to be revised, supplemented and replaced, causing difficulties in organizing implementation. On the other hand, due to the impact of weather, complicated disease situation in livestock, Covid-19 outbreak, therefore, the number of participants is limited, affecting the results of implementing the poverty reduction program in the province.

Lessons of success

The positive results of poverty reduction in Lang Son province show that success comes from the leadership role of the Party Committee and the government; mobilizing the participation of the entire political system and society. Resolute implementation right from the general planning stage as well as each project and assigning responsibilities to the agencies and people in charge of implementation; timely allocating detailed funding for each project and content right from the beginning of the year. To achieve the goal of sustainable poverty reduction, it is necessary to arouse the will to self-reliant of the poor themselves, combined with support policies of the State and the social community.

State resources play a decisive role and need to be allocated promptly, giving priority to more difficult areas; at the same time, there must be a mechanism to mobilize support resources from the community, businesses, international organizations and poor households themselves in implementing the poverty reduction goal.

Reality shows that wherever the Party Committee and the government pay attention to direction, have close coordination with the Fatherland Front Committee and local socio-political organizations, implement decentralization, and expand people's participation, poverty reduction work is highly effective and vice versa. Inspection and evaluation of program implementation needs to be organized regularly from identifying beneficiaries to organizing policy implementation, thereby limiting negative aspects and taking advantage of policies, while detecting limitations and unreasonableness to propose timely amendments and supplements.

In addition, regularly organize various forms of communication on poverty reduction, suitable for the Party and State's poverty reduction policies and guidelines to reach the poor, raise awareness, and create high consensus in society. Discover and popularize effective poverty reduction models and examples for replication; criticize negative phenomena and unwillingness to escape poverty. Focus on training, fostering, improving qualifications and knowledge for cadres at all levels, especially cadres in communes, villages and hamlets. Promote the pioneering and exemplary role of cadres and party members; seriously implement the principles of democracy, publicity and transparency in management, supervision and evaluation of the results of the Program implementation at the local level.

In 2021, Lang Son province had 23,511 poor households, accounting for 12.2%, the number of near-poor households was 23,247 households, accounting for 12.06%; in 2024, the multidimensional poverty rate was 3.36% (down 2.66% compared to 2023).

TAM ANH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/dau-an-giam-ngheo-o-lang-son-post927534.html