Mobilize all resources to care for those who have rendered meritorious service.

Although the war is long over, for the past 76 years, following Uncle Ho's teachings, the Party, the State, and the people of Vietnam have always paid attention to and cared for those who have rendered meritorious services to the revolution and their relatives. Over 9.2 million people who have rendered meritorious services and their relatives nationwide have a standard of living equal to or higher than the average standard of living of the people in their place of residence.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son met with and expressed gratitude to officials, civil servants, and employees who are family members of wounded soldiers, martyrs, and those who have made contributions to the revolution, on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the Day of Wounded Soldiers and Martyrs (July 27, 1947 - July 27, 2023). (Photo: Tuan Anh)

Complete the system of policies and laws that provide preferential treatment to people with meritorious services.

The policy of preferential treatment for those who have rendered meritorious services to the revolution has always been a priority for the Party and the State. This is a special policy that reflects the national principle of "drinking water, remembering the source." Over the years, the country's socio -economic development achievements have increasingly created favorable conditions for the entire Party, people, and army to better care for the material and spiritual lives of those who have rendered meritorious services. Continuing to improve and supplement policies and laws on preferential treatment for those who have rendered meritorious services will contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of the Party and State's activities of "showing gratitude" and "remembering the source."

The Standing Committee of the National Assembly issued the amended Ordinance on Preferential Treatment for People with Meritorious Contributions to the Revolution in 2020 and its implementing guidelines, promptly institutionalizing the Party's views, policies, and guidelines on preferential treatment for people with meritorious contributions to the revolution, in accordance with each historical stage of the country. The scope of those with meritorious contributions is expanding, and the preferential treatment regime is improving, while ensuring fairness and social consensus.

“Agencies, units, and individuals, through concrete and practical actions with a high sense of responsibility, should proactively and creatively implement more practical activities, considering it a duty, responsibility, and also an expression of profound gratitude to those who have dedicated and sacrificed themselves for the cause of national liberation, national reunification, and the firm protection of our beloved socialist Vietnam.” (General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong)

Right during this historically significant July, the Government issued Decree No. 55 dated July 21, 2023, amending and supplementing several articles of Decree No. 75/2021/ND-CP regulating the levels of allowances, subsidies, and preferential treatment for people who have rendered meritorious services to the revolution. Accordingly, the standard level of allowances and preferential subsidies for people who have rendered meritorious services to the revolution increased by 26.5% and was applied from July 1, 2023.

The President also signed Decision No. 715/QD-CTN dated June 19, 2023, awarding gifts to nearly 1.4 million people who rendered meritorious services to the revolution and their relatives in 2023.

At the 2023 National Conference to Commend Outstanding Revolutionary Veterans, recently held in Thua Thien Hue province, Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung announced that the Prime Minister has approved the plan for a network of social facilities for nurturing and caring for revolutionary veterans for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050. This aims to create a system of facilities with sufficient scale and capacity to meet the requirements for nurturing and caring for revolutionary veterans, ensuring they have access to and benefit from comprehensive care services for both physical and mental well-being.

Over the past six years, in implementing the policy of accelerating the process of verifying people who have rendered meritorious services to the revolution and resolving outstanding cases in a transparent manner, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has fundamentally resolved over 7,000 cases.

Specifically, the Prime Minister has recognized and awarded the "Homeland's Recognition" certificate to over 2,400 martyrs and over 2,700 wounded soldiers and those entitled to benefits similar to wounded soldiers. This includes particularly those who sacrificed their lives during the anti-French resistance period, some of whom died 91 years ago and are only now eligible for recognition as martyrs, such as Mr. Pham Khanh in Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An province; and Martyr Trang Hong Vinh in Cau Ngang district, Tra Vinh province, a former signalman who died in 1953 in the R War Zone, but whose comrades, records, and evidence are no longer available.

On the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the Day of War Invalids and Martyrs this year, thanks to the efforts of many relevant agencies, martyr Trang Hong Vinh was recognized and awarded the Certificate of National Recognition by the Prime Minister, bringing immense joy to his family and the Post and Telecommunications sector.

With the comprehensive promulgation and implementation of the above-mentioned preferential policies for people who have rendered meritorious services to the revolution, during the period 2012-2022, the state budget was allocated to implement monthly allowances, one-time allowances, and other preferential regimes such as: health insurance, health rehabilitation, provision of assistive devices, orthopedic equipment, rehabilitation equipment; educational incentives, housing improvement support, orthopedic equipment, rehabilitation, educational incentives, cemetery management, search and collection of remains of martyrs…

The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the People's Committee of Quang Tri province, organized a delegation from the Vietnam Summer Camp 2023 to visit and present gifts to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers in the province. In the photo: Mother Ngo Thi Xiec receives a gift from the Vietnam Summer Camp 2023 delegation. (Photo: Huy Anh)

Showing gratitude and repaying kindness - a noble moral principle.

Activities expressing gratitude and appreciation, such as the movement "All citizens care for families of wounded soldiers, martyrs, and those who have rendered meritorious services to the revolution," are increasingly developing and expanding from the central to local levels. They are supported and embraced by society, becoming a beautiful tradition of the nation, and are enthusiastically supported by a large number of people from all walks of life with a high sense of responsibility and social awareness.

Efforts to search for and collect the remains of fallen soldiers, and to build and renovate cemeteries and memorials for fallen soldiers have been prioritized and achieved positive results.

Nationwide, over 13 trillion VND has been mobilized to support families of war heroes and martyrs in building over 84,000 new houses and repairing over 69,000 houses of gratitude; nearly 126,000 savings accounts totaling over 1 trillion VND have been given to policy beneficiary families; and support has been provided to some particularly disadvantaged cases. 2,988 surviving Vietnamese Heroic Mothers are being cared for and supported for life by various organizations, warming the hearts of the departed heroes and martyrs and helping to alleviate the pain of those left behind.

During the period 2012-2022, the State allocated over 357,000 billion VND to implement policies for war veterans and their relatives and families. Nationwide, over 13,000 billion VND was mobilized to support war veteran families in building over 84,000 new houses and repairing over 69,000 houses of gratitude; nearly 126,000 savings accounts were given to policy beneficiary families with a total amount exceeding 1,000 billion VND; and nearly 3,000 Vietnamese Heroic Mothers were cared for and supported for life, including very elderly mothers such as Mother Nguyen Thi Diem (98 years old) and Mother Ngo Thi Dien (97 years old) – noble mothers worthy of the eight golden words that President Ho Chi Minh affectionately bestowed upon Vietnamese women: “Heroic - Indomitable - Loyal - Capable”.

Continue to review, research, improve, and better implement policies and laws for meritorious individuals in a timely and effective manner, ensuring that meritorious individuals and their families have a living standard at least above average in the locality, with the spirit of ensuring that no meritorious individual is left without the preferential policies of the Party and the State. (Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaking at the Conference honoring 300 exemplary meritorious individuals and their relatives held on July 22nd in Hue City)

Ho Chi Minh City consistently leads the country in the "Gratitude and Repayment" movement. Currently, the city's "Gratitude and Repayment" Fund has mobilized nearly 189 billion VND, contributing to improving the lives of policy beneficiary families, ensuring that 100% of living Vietnamese Heroic Mothers are cared for by relevant units, and that 100% of communes and wards effectively carry out work related to war invalids and martyrs. In particular, in 2023, the city allocated over 77 billion VND to present gifts to 73,434 war invalids and their relatives on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day.

According to the Hanoi Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, as of July 20th, the entire city had raised over 28 billion VND for the Gratitude and Remembrance Fund; and presented 735 "Gratitude and Remembrance" savings accounts with a total value of over 2.3 billion VND. At the same time, the city renovated and upgraded 57 memorials for martyrs with a budget of over 6.9 billion VND.

Currently, all 70 surviving Vietnamese Heroic Mothers are being cared for by various agencies and units. In Vinh Long, during the first six months of 2023, the province coordinated and supported the construction and repair of 383 houses for families of people who rendered meritorious services to the revolution, with 198 houses completed to date; provided support to 180 people who rendered meritorious services to the revolution in difficult circumstances with more than 280 million VND from the Gratitude Fund; and organized two groups of people who rendered meritorious services to the revolution to receive concentrated convalescence in various localities...

Regarding policies and regulations for caring for war veterans and martyrs, at the 11th session of the 16th term, the Hai Phong City People's Council approved the "Resolution stipulating the city's gift-giving policy for policy beneficiaries and special groups on the occasion of annual holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year)". Chairman of the Hai Phong City People's Council, Pham Van Lap, affirmed that the resolution ensures the sustainability of social security mechanisms and policies in the city. The resolution is even more significant as it was issued on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the War Invalids and Martyrs Day on July 27th…

The special attention given by the entire political system and the whole nation to those who have rendered meritorious service clearly demonstrates the fine traditions and moral values ​​of the Vietnamese people. However, there are still many concerns as the lives of a segment of wounded soldiers, relatives of martyrs, and families of those who have rendered meritorious service to the revolution remain difficult; many martyrs' remains have not yet been found or identified…

Therefore, at the recent conference honoring 300 exemplary war veterans and their families held in Hue City, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested that all levels, sectors, and localities continue to effectively implement the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws, further strengthening the care for war invalids, sick soldiers, families of martyrs, and those who have rendered meritorious services to the revolution. This includes focusing on strongly promoting the tradition of "Drinking water, remember the source," and "Eating fruit, remember the tree planter," thoroughly understanding and effectively implementing the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress, the Secretariat's Directive on continuing to strengthen the Party's leadership over the work related to those who have rendered meritorious services to the revolution, and the Ordinance on preferential treatment for those who have rendered meritorious services to the revolution; attracting social resources and effectively implementing "Gratitude and Repayment" movements such as: building "Houses of Gratitude," establishing the "Gratitude and Repayment" Fund, awarding "Savings Accounts of Gratitude," and providing care for Vietnamese Heroic Mothers… Contributing to compensating for the disadvantages faced by those who have rendered meritorious service to the revolution and their families.

President Ho Chi Minh once instructed: “The soldiers have sacrificed their blood and lives to protect the country… These soldiers are truly worthy of the Fatherland, and the Fatherland will never forget such beloved sons.” With great responsibility and profound gratitude, the Party, State, Government, and people of Vietnam pledge to continue to carefully care for and alleviate the suffering, ensuring that no meritorious person is left without preferential policies.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/huy-dong-moi-nguon-luc-cham-lo-cho-nguoi-co-cong-238438.html