Provincial Party Secretary Hoang Trung Dung affirmed that promoting social security and welfare, and continuously improving the material and spiritual lives of the people, is a consistent goal that Party committees, government agencies, and the entire political system in Ha Tinh always prioritize; it is one of the key tasks clearly demonstrated in the provincial Party congresses.
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In an interview with Ha Tinh Newspaper, Comrade Hoang Trung Dung - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Chairman of the Provincial People's Council - affirmed: Promoting social security and welfare, and continuously improving the material and spiritual lives of the people, is a consistent goal that Party committees, government agencies, and the entire political system in Ha Tinh always prioritize; it is one of the key tasks clearly demonstrated in the provincial Party congresses.
PV: Mr. Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, the first half of the 2020-2025 term of the Provincial Party Committee took place amidst many difficulties and challenges in the world , the country, and the province. Given this reality, what policies and measures has the Provincial Party Committee implemented to ensure social welfare and stabilize the lives of the people?
Comrade Hoang Trung Dung: First of all, it must be affirmed that doing a good job in social security and welfare, and continuously improving the material and spiritual lives of the people, is a consistent goal of our Party; this is also a key task that Ha Tinh has always paid attention to in each stage of development. Especially when people face difficulties, the Party committees, the government, and the entire political system must pay attention, ponder, and promptly formulate appropriate policies, decisions, and effective solutions.
Immediately after the 19th Provincial Party Congress, term 2020-2025, in late October 2020, two consecutive major floods occurred in the province, damaging over 4,000 houses, affecting 53,000 households, and severely destroying many economic infrastructure projects, with total losses exceeding 5,300 billion VND. The first resolution (Resolution 01) of the term was issued by the Provincial Party Standing Committee shortly thereafter, with the urgent and central task of mobilizing the entire political system to focus on overcoming the consequences of the 2020 natural disasters and quickly stabilizing the lives of the people; while also outlining the goals, tasks, and solutions for prevention and response to minimize damage caused by natural disasters.
Two consecutive historic floods at the end of October 2020 damaged more than 4,000 houses, affected 53,000 households, and severely damaged many economic infrastructure projects; the total damage amounted to over 5,300 billion VND.
Adhering closely to the resolution, with many decisive and flexible solutions, the entire province has mobilized comprehensive resources to promptly and effectively overcome the damage caused by natural disasters; quickly restored production, business, education, and health activities, ensuring social security; gradually restored socio-economic infrastructure, and brought activities in all areas of social life back to normal. As a result, 58 community cultural centers combined with storm and flood shelters have been built; nearly 5,000 sturdy houses have been constructed for people with meritorious services to the revolution, poor households, and households affected by natural disasters; policies supporting plant and animal breeds, and funding for repairing and building infrastructure serving production after the floods have been quickly and effectively implemented.
The entire province has built 58 community cultural centers that also serve as shelters from storms and floods; and nearly 5,000 sturdy houses for people who have rendered meritorious services to the revolution, poor households, and households affected by natural disasters.
Also in the spirit of Resolution 01, 24 houses for residents of Tien Phong fishing village, Quang Vinh commune (Duc Tho district) were started with socialized funding, ending the situation where people had to live precariously on the river and their children did not receive a proper education. Furthermore, community cultural centers are not only safe havens for people during the rainy season and floods, but more often they serve as centers for community cultural activities, recreation, and entertainment for people of all ages, contributing to the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values...
Entering 2021, while the consequences of the historic floods were still being addressed, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The pandemic had a significant impact not only on the lives of local residents but also on the lives of those from the province living and working in major cities, especially in the southern provinces. In this new context, the Provincial Party Standing Committee promptly led and directed the entire political system to focus on the crucial and urgent task of pandemic prevention and control, while simultaneously implementing the Resolution of the 19th Provincial Party Congress.
People from all walks of life have made significant contributions in terms of manpower and resources to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Along with focusing human and material resources to support the frontline fight against the epidemic, the province is calling on localities, units, businesses, and all sectors of the population to contribute money, medical supplies, and essential goods for epidemic prevention and control. At the same time, it is implementing humane policies to support people facing difficulties in the area, and Ha Tinh residents living far from home; coordinating and supporting the provinces of Bolikhamsai and Khammouane (Lao People's Democratic Republic) in epidemic prevention and control.
During the first nearly three years of the term, facing numerous difficulties, many practical support policies and programs were promptly issued and implemented. In particular, in August 2021, the province established the "Fund to Support High-Achieving Students from Particularly Difficult Circumstances to Attend University" and directed and encouraged localities to develop the fund to expand the scope of support in their areas.
Provincial Party Secretary Hoang Trung Dung encouraged students facing difficult circumstances.
To date, 220 disadvantaged students have received support to attend university with an average of 2 million VND per student per month; each university student receives support ranging from 80 to 150 million VND during their university studies. In addition, localities, units, socio-political organizations, the business community, and other organizations and individuals have sponsored, supported, and assisted more than 3,500 orphaned and disadvantaged children.
PV: Along with promptly implementing support programs for people facing immediate difficulties, Ha Tinh is a locality that has paid comprehensive attention to poverty alleviation and improving the material and spiritual lives of its people. Could you please share some of the outstanding achievements we have accomplished in the early years of this term?
Comrade Hoang Trung Dung: Ha Tinh started as a poor province, suffering many consequences of war, and frequently affected by natural disasters, storms, floods, and epidemics; the lives of the people are still very difficult. Therefore, in all periods of development, the province has always placed the task of eradicating poverty and improving the lives of the people at the forefront.
The 14th session of the 18th term of the Ha Tinh Provincial People's Council, held in mid-July 2023, approved many important policies related to poverty reduction and ensuring social security in the province.
To promptly implement the Central Government's guidelines and policies on poverty reduction, the Provincial Party Committee's Standing Committee issued Plan No. 45-KH/TU dated September 24, 2021, on the implementation of Directive No. 05-CT/TW dated June 23, 2021, of the Party Central Committee on strengthening the Party's leadership over sustainable poverty reduction until 2030; the Provincial People's Council and People's Committee issued resolutions, regulations, and programs and plans on the implementation of the national target program for sustainable poverty reduction in the 2021-2025 period.
In addition to concretizing central government policies, during the 2020-2023 period, the Provincial People's Council issued 9 resolutions with 25 groups of specific provincial policies on poverty reduction and social security in the province, with a total budget of over 4,000 billion VND for the implementation of these policies during the 2021-2025 period, benefiting up to 750,000 people.
Provincial Party Secretary Hoang Trung Dung and City Party Secretary Duong Tat Thang visited and presented gifts to Mr. Phan Van Nam (born in 1940, Trung Hung village, Thach Hung commune, Ha Tinh city), a disabled veteran of category 2/4, whose family is facing difficulties, and who is suffering from a serious illness and poor health.
Among these are many support policies that have received high consensus from officials, Party members, and the entire population, such as: supporting workers to participate in voluntary social insurance; supporting the near-poor, the elderly aged 70 and above, and those from households engaged in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and salt production with average living standards to purchase health insurance; giving gifts on July 27th and the Lunar New Year to those who have contributed to the revolution, social welfare beneficiaries, ethnic minorities from poor and near-poor households; young volunteers with particularly difficult circumstances; children of those affected by chemical toxins who no longer have relatives to care for and raise them; severely wounded and disabled soldiers with a disability rate of 81% or higher; people with severe or extremely severe neurological and mental disabilities from poor households who wish to be cared for and raised at the Social Rehabilitation and Education Center; celebrating the birthdays of the elderly on the occasion of the Lunar New Year every year; Regulations specifying the standard level of social assistance applicable in the community and at social assistance facilities; income support for poor households, people with meritorious services, and members of poor households covered by social protection policies.
To improve the material and spiritual well-being and healthcare of the people, Ha Tinh province has mobilized resources to invest hundreds of billions of VND in medical equipment. Accordingly, provincial and district-level hospitals have received support with many modern machines such as: digital X-ray machines; hemodialysis machines; ventilators; autoclaves; the new generation ARIETTA 650 DeepInsight ultrasound system; electrocardiographs; oxygen concentrators, etc.
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(1) Provincial leaders witnessed the ceremony to receive 4 ambulances donated by businesses in Hanoi, Binh Duong and Ho Chi Minh City to serve the COVID-19 prevention and control work. (2) Sun Group Corporation presented a symbolic donation of medical equipment worth more than 31 billion VND to Ha Tinh Provincial General Hospital.
The dedicated and innovative approaches adopted during the first year of the term not only fostered unity and mutual support, unleashing internal resources to improve people's lives, but also created a ripple effect and mobilized the participation of many organizations and individuals inside and outside the province in poverty reduction and social security efforts, with hundreds of billions of dong in support. Along with the successful implementation of socio-economic development solutions, job creation, and improvements in the material and spiritual lives of the people, by the end of 2022, the poverty rate was only 3.79%, and the near-poverty rate was 4.04%; Ha Tinh province had the lowest poverty rate among the North Central provinces.
However, Ha Tinh is facing many difficulties and challenges in poverty reduction and ensuring social security, requiring the entire provincial political system to continue to pay more attention and to devise more flexible and practical approaches to comprehensively care for the lives of the people.
PV: So, in the coming period, what will the province focus on in poverty reduction and ensuring social security, Comrade?
Comrade Hoang Trung Dung: The Party's 13th National Congress documents state: "Implementing social policies effectively, ensuring social security and welfare, human security, creating strong changes in social development management, achieving social progress and equity; improving the quality of life and happiness of the people...". At the 19th Provincial Party Congress, one of the important goals emphasized in the resolution was ensuring social security and comprehensively improving the lives of the people.
Delegates from Ha Tinh province attended the 13th National Congress of the Party.
Following the direction set by Party congresses at all levels, we will continue to effectively implement the policies and regulations issued by the Party and State, while mobilizing social resources to care for war veterans and social welfare beneficiaries. We will focus on social welfare, gradually ensuring the basic and essential needs of social security beneficiaries regarding housing, transportation, education, and healthcare. We will mobilize resources to help poor households and social welfare beneficiaries to ensure they have above-average living standards; reducing the poverty rate and near-poverty rate to below the national average. We will concentrate on vocational training, job creation, and effectively implementing child protection and care, gender equality, and the prevention and control of social evils.
Currently, localities and units continue to lead and direct the mobilization of social resources to complete the remaining 2,255 houses for people with meritorious services, poor households, near-poor households, households affected by natural disasters and in particularly difficult circumstances, and nearly 100 community cultural centers combined with flood shelters in areas frequently affected by severe flooding. This includes accelerating the construction of 1,000 houses supported by the Ministry of Public Security and the program to build 750 houses from the Provincial Relief Fund. The province is also receiving and implementing the program to build flood-resistant schools supported by Tuoi Tre Newspaper (according to a survey across the province, 29 schools have facilities affected by natural disasters and floods that need renovation and repair; currently, the province has received 10 billion VND from the program). At the same time, favorable conditions are being created to attract businesses to invest in the construction of social housing to ensure it meets the needs of low-income workers.
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The Institute for Digital Economic Development Strategy and MoMo e-wallet held a ceremony to receive nearly 10 billion VND in funding for the "Flood-Resistant Schools" program in Ha Tinh, aimed at supporting students, teachers, and residents in low-lying areas frequently affected by storms and floods.
Regarding poverty reduction efforts, Party committees and authorities at all levels need to be decisive in leading and directing the implementation of mechanisms and policies, while also developing appropriate solutions to target specific poverty reduction areas. The Vietnam Fatherland Front and other mass organizations from the provincial to the grassroots level should work closely with and support their members in overcoming poverty, while strengthening their role in monitoring and providing feedback on poverty reduction efforts.
In implementing policies and guidelines on poverty reduction and social security, utmost attention must be paid to disseminating policies and laws so that people are aware and cooperate in their implementation; strengthening people's awareness and responsibility, and especially arousing their will and aspirations to take control of their lives. To comprehensively improve the lives of the people, the entire political system of the province needs to effectively implement the goals and solutions for socio-economic development as directed by the Resolution of the 19th Provincial Party Congress and the Provincial Planning for the period 2020-2030, with a vision to 2050; effectively implement the New Rural Development program; strengthen investment attraction; and shift the labor structure to create jobs and increase people's income – these are long-term, sustainable solutions for social security.
To comprehensively improve the lives of the people, the entire political system of the province needs to effectively implement the goals and solutions for socio-economic development of the province in accordance with the orientation of the Resolution of the 19th Provincial Party Congress and the Provincial Planning for the period 2020-2030, with a vision to 2050.
More importantly, in poverty reduction and social security efforts, all levels, sectors, and localities must focus on substance and effectiveness, using the improvement of people's material and spiritual lives as a measure, and absolutely not pursuing achievements for the sake of appearances.
PV: During his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh paid special attention to the welfare of the people. It can be said that the results achieved in poverty reduction and social security in Ha Tinh over the past period have further deepened the humanist ideology of the President. Could you please elaborate on this issue?
Comrade Hoang Trung Dung: We all know that throughout his life, President Ho Chi Minh dedicated himself to the national independence, freedom, prosperity, and happiness of the people. In an interview with a foreign journalist on January 21, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh said: "I have only one desire, an ultimate desire, which is to see our country completely independent, our people completely free, and everyone having enough food and clothing, and access to education." Caring for the people's lives, according to President Ho Chi Minh, means ensuring that the people fulfill their duties and enjoy their rights in a progressive and just society.
On June 15, 1957, President Ho Chi Minh and the Central Committee delegation visited and spoke with officials and people of Ha Tinh province. (Archival photo)
Throughout his revolutionary leadership, President Ho Chi Minh always considered caring for the people's lives as one of the important goals of building socialism. In his 1969 Testament, he instructed: "The Party needs to have a very good plan to develop the economy and culture, in order to continuously improve the people's lives." President Ho Chi Minh's views on caring for the people's lives have been applied and concretized by our Party and State in various historical periods. In particular, the Party and State's policies and guidelines on socio-economic development during nearly 37 years of reform have always aimed at the goal of "improving the quality of life and happiness of the people," as affirmed in the Party's 13th National Congress documents.
During a meeting with delegates of cadres and Party members on the occasion of their visit to Ha Tinh (June 15, 1957), Uncle Ho emphasized: "The Party must take care of the people's lives, first and foremost production, and preserve production," and "pay attention to increasing production"... Particularly, on July 6, 1966, Uncle Ho directly spoke with a delegation of cadres from Ha Tinh who had just returned from a study tour on intensive rice cultivation techniques in Thai Binh province. He instructed them: "Ha Tinh must strive to make its situation stand out."
President Ho Chi Minh speaking with delegates and people from all walks of life in Ha Tinh on June 15, 1957. Archival photo.
Uncle Ho's teachings have guided and encouraged the Party Committee of Ha Tinh to uphold the tradition of unity and revolutionary spirit, leading the entire people to achieve important accomplishments in many fields, gradually lifting Ha Tinh out of poverty and towards sustainable development. The economy has made remarkable progress, from a province with low budget revenue and average GRDP per capita to one of the leading provinces in the North Central region. Infrastructure has been gradually invested in a modern and comprehensive manner. Industry has made breakthroughs and developed remarkably; trade, services, and tourism have continuously expanded. The national target program for building new rural areas has made a clear mark, fundamentally changing the face of rural areas and improving the material and spiritual lives of the people. Along with efforts to create breakthroughs in economic development and increase people's income, the province always pays attention to socio-cultural development, comprehensively caring for the people's lives in the fields of health, education, culture, and sports.
The national target program for building new rural areas has made a clear impact, fundamentally changing the face of rural areas and improving the material and spiritual lives of the people. Photo: Dau Ha.
During the first nearly three years of the 19th Provincial Party Congress term, caring for the people's lives became a central political task. The results achieved are one of the measures to assess the moral character, responsibility, capacity, and dedication of Party committees, government agencies, and each official, especially the leaders. Particularly during difficult times, the entire political system has shown concern, creativity, and timely implementation of policies and concrete actions to stabilize people's lives; thereby creating a close bond between the Party and the people. Based on this, a solid foundation has been created to promote the cultural values and human resources of Ha Tinh, strongly awaken the will and aspirations of each citizen, strengthen national unity, effectively implement patriotic emulation movements, and strive to achieve the goals of the Resolution of the 19th Provincial Party Congress: building Ha Tinh into a province with developed industry, agriculture, and services, a synchronous infrastructure system, developed culture, a progressive society, and guaranteed national defense and security; comprehensively improving the lives of the people; striving to achieve the New Rural Area standard by 2025 and become a relatively prosperous province of the country by 2030.
PV: Thank you very much, Comrade!
Text and photos: Reporter Team
DESIGN & ENGINEERING: THANH NAM - NGOC NGHI
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