Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang visits and works with Dien Bien province.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang works with Dien Bien province - Photo: VGP/Hai Minh

The report presented at the meeting showed that the main goals and tasks regarding socio-economic development and ensuring security and national defense in the first six months of 2024 in Dien Bien province have achieved positive results.

Specifically, the province organized the commemorative ceremony, parade, march, and other events and activities within the framework of the National Tourism Year - Dien Bien and the 70th Anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory in a solemn, meticulous, safe, and effective manner.

The province's GRDP growth rate in the first six months of the year reached 8.75%, compared to 7.06% in the same period of 2023, ranking 3rd out of 14 provinces in the Northern Midlands and Mountains region, and 10th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide.

Tourism continues to be a bright spot in the province's economic picture, with the number of tourists increasing 2.18 times compared to the same period in 2023; total revenue from tourism activities increased 2.26 times compared to the same period last year, exceeding the annual plan by 12.5%.

The Provincial Competitiveness Index ranking in 2023 increased by 31 places compared to 2022, placing it 31st nationwide. The Administrative Reform Index ranking in 2023 placed it 20th out of 63 provinces and cities, an increase of 2 places compared to 2022, the highest ranking the province has ever achieved.

The province's public administration and governance efficiency index has shown positive changes, with a significant improvement in ranking, placing it 34th out of 63 provinces and cities, an increase of 25 places compared to 2022.

Regarding the disbursement of public investment capital, as of June 30th, the disbursement rate of the 2024 capital plan reached 25.41% and is expected to reach nearly 100% by the end of 2024. For national target programs, the average disbursement rate reached 25.6% of the plan.

Regarding the flood situation, from the beginning of the year until now, Dien Bien province has been affected by 26 natural disasters, resulting in 9 deaths, 4 missing persons, and 12 injuries.

The floods damaged 1,365 houses; buried or swept away 728 hectares of rice fields; and completely destroyed nearly 26 hectares of aquaculture farms…

The total damage caused by natural disasters in Dien Bien province from the beginning of the year to date is estimated at over 256 billion VND, of which the damage from the flash floods from July 23rd to August 2nd is approximately 211 billion VND.

Dien Bien province has requested the Government to consider adjusting the target of removing 45 communes from the list of particularly difficult areas down to 32 communes by 2025, due to the very high percentage of poor households belonging to ethnic minorities, which accounts for up to 99%.

Dien Bien also proposed that the Central Government implement a policy to support communes that, after being recognized as achieving new rural standards, are reclassified from Area II and Area III to Area I, so that they continue to receive the same policies and benefits as Area II and Area III for at least one year after the recognition decision, in order to ensure social welfare, especially for ethnic minority groups.

Regarding the remediation of the consequences of floods and heavy rains, Dien Bien province has requested the Government to soon issue a Decree to replace Decree No. 02/2017/ND-CP, in order to supplement policies supporting agricultural land areas affected by natural disasters.

At the same time, consider allocating central government contingency funds to support the province in overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, including supporting the resettlement of residents in Ban Linh, Huoi Ke, Tin Toc, and Muong Pon 1 areas in Muong Pon commune, Dien Bien district; and supporting the repair of 13 infrastructure projects.

The Deputy Prime Minister urged Dien Bien province to make efforts to accelerate the disbursement of public investment funds - Photo: VGP/Hai Minh

Concluding the working session, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang highly appreciated the efforts of the Party Committee, government, and people of Dien Bien province in developing the economy and ensuring national security and defense despite many difficulties. Notably, the province maintained a high economic growth rate, made significant progress in administrative reform, attracted more tourists than the set target, and expanded the area of ​​several high-income crops such as macadamia and coffee.

The Deputy Prime Minister requested Dien Bien province to make efforts to accelerate the disbursement of public investment capital and operational funds for the three national target programs, which are currently lower than the national average; to promptly review the province's planning based on the principle of ensuring there is no shortage of land for transportation infrastructure development; and to accelerate the development of potential sectors such as renewable energy, urban construction, tourism, and agriculture.

Regarding disaster prevention and control, the Deputy Prime Minister highly appreciated the Dien Bien provincial authorities for directing functional forces to quickly overcome the consequences of recent floods and heavy rains.

The Deputy Prime Minister stated that the Prime Minister has decided to provide emergency support of 10 billion VND to Dien Bien province to help it quickly overcome the consequences of the floods, to be implemented this week; emphasizing that this resource must be allocated fairly, openly, and transparently.

The Deputy Prime Minister requested Dien Bien province to continue mobilizing resources and directing forces to quickly support people affected by floods and heavy rains in rebuilding their homes, restoring production, and stabilizing their lives in accordance with the customs and traditions of the people; and to effectively control vehicles and people in areas at high risk of landslides.

At the same time, closely monitor weather developments and develop model scenarios to proactively implement response plans for potentially more extreme weather events, especially the two periods of heavy rainfall predicted in mid-August 2024; and improve information and communication efforts to enhance coordination among all levels of government and the public in responding to natural disasters.

Earlier, on the afternoon of August 4th, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang inspected the landslide site in Muong Pon 1 village and the flash flood-affected areas in Linh and Tin Toc villages; visited, encouraged, and presented gifts to the "four on-the-spot" forces working to mitigate the consequences of the floods; and visited, encouraged, and presented gifts to families with deceased or missing relatives in Muong Pon commune, Dien Bien district.

Source: https://baotainguyenmoitruong.vn/pho-thu-tuong-tran-luu-quang-tham-lam-viec-voi-tinh-dien-bien-377876.html