The army takes the lead in implementing national target programs.

Playing an important role in deploying and implementing the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, the Ministry of National Defense has promptly issued directive documents, established Steering Committees and Working Groups at all levels, ensuring synchronous and effective implementation.

The grassroots units established Project Management Boards, closely coordinating with local authorities from planning to implementation. Over the past 5 years, the Army has supported 383 production development models for 36,654 households, of which 98% are ethnic minority households.

The program "Helping children go to school" supports 21,165 poor students (1,600 children are raised at the unit, 19,565 children are supported at home).

Border guards of Ban Giang and people grow rice.

The entire army organized 537 ethnic knowledge training classes, 488 propaganda training classes; compiled and published more than 115,000 documents on law, health care, and ethnic culture; created 427 reportage and documentary films; published 8 special pages "Army attached to ethnic minorities and mountainous areas"; at the same time, coordinated to organize meetings and commend 3,315 typical advanced models, village elders, village chiefs, and prestigious people in the community.

Create real, synchronous and sustainable change

Senior Lieutenant General Vu Hai San, member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Minister of National Defense, said: "The Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense have thoroughly grasped and deployed the entire army to implement and launch emulation movements, especially the emulation movement of the Army building new rural areas; the Army joins hands for the poor, leaving no one behind, and the emulation movements have been widely responded to and seriously implemented by the entire army, thereby creating a spreading force throughout the entire army and throughout society."

Senior Lieutenant General Vu Hai San and the working delegation inspected the silkworm farming support model of Lam Dong Economic - Defense Group.

"With the results of the implementation and strict implementation, we have achieved many practical results, especially the new rural construction program, the socio-economic development program in remote areas, helping people to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, through practical work to create military-civilian sentiment and build the image of Uncle Ho's soldiers. Socio-economic development, coupled with strengthening security and consolidating our position, and the results achieved by the entire army have been recognized and highly appreciated by the Party and the State," Senior Lieutenant General Vu Hai San emphasized.

Closely direct, implement methodically and closely follow practice

2023 is the second year the Ministry of National Defense has been assigned to implement the national target program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

Senior Lieutenant General Vu Hai San had a friendly chat with ethnic minorities in Trinh Tuong commune.

With the close and strict direction, the responsible, active and methodical participation of the units, especially the Economic-Defense Groups stationed in mountainous and border areas with favorable local staff resources, immediately after the Government 's decision, resources from sustainable poverty reduction programs and projects; socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas were quickly deployed to the people in the project area in the fastest way, initially achieving important results.

Colonel Pham Toan Thang, Deputy Director of the Economic Department, Ministry of National Defense, said: With a lot of experience accumulated in the process of implementing the construction of National Defense Economic Zones, the Ministry of National Defense has directed the implementation of this program in the National Defense Economic Groups and units in the border areas.

As soon as Decision 1917 was approved by the Prime Minister, the Ministry of National Defense established a steering committee and at the same time developed criteria, guidelines, norms and criteria to be able to implement the national target program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, period 2021-2030.

Colonel Pham Toan Thang, Deputy Director of the Economic Department, Ministry of National Defense, talked with Mr. Xong Ba Long, Head of Huoi Khe village, Muong Ai hamlet, Ky Son commune, Nghe An province.

Phase 1 (2021-2025) achieved the fastest results. The Ministry of National Defense issued Decision 3365, promulgating criteria and standards to deploy the allocation of investment resources of the program to projects. At the same time, Instruction No. 2251 was issued to guide agencies and units in organizing implementation and expanding the subjects of program implementation. Therefore, the program is closely directed from the Ministry of National Defense to the Military Regions, to the Defense Economic Groups, Military Commands, Border Guards of provinces and cities, especially the strategic defense and security units.

Leaving no one behind

In the process of implementing the Socio-Economic Development Program for Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, assigned Army units have closely coordinated with local authorities, implementing in combination with many local socio-economic development programs. Organizing, surveying, understanding people's needs, organizing approval, providing plants and seedlings strictly, ensuring the right subjects, giving priority to households with special difficulties.

Therefore, the livelihood models when deployed to the people were positively received. With the way of propaganda work one step ahead, all policies and guidelines of the Party and the State were disseminated to all people, so the mindset of the people waiting for and relying on the attention and investment of the State and the help of the Army was gradually overcome. For that reason, many people like the head of Xong Ba Long village decided to give up the standard of being granted breeding animals to other households that were more difficult than themselves.

Mr. Xong Ba Long, Head of Huoi Khe village, Muong Ai hamlet, Ky Son commune, Nghe An province.

Mr. Hoa Pho Nganh, a resident of Xop Lau village, Muong Ai village, Ky Son commune, Nghe An province, who used to live in poverty for a long time, said: "Thanks to the soldiers' direct guidance and help with suitable seeds and crops, my family has changed the way we do things, become less dependent on nature, and gradually escaped poverty."

Also from such specific models, the poverty rate in the Economic-Defense Zones has decreased from 2.5 to 4.5% per year, creating a fundamental change in awareness and production methods.

Close to the people , understand the people, serve the people

In the field, Army officers and soldiers do not hesitate to face difficulties, stay close to the people, stay close to the area, understand the thoughts and aspirations of the people to build a support model close to reality. Colonel Uong Dinh Tan, Head of Economic-Defense Group 337 (Military Region 4) said: "We consider the people in the economic-defense zone as our own relatives."

From a local perspective, Mr. Tho Ba Re, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ky Son district (old) affirmed: "I feel very secure when the Army deploys its tasks in the area. The sense of responsibility, scientific and effective working methods of the Army have made an important contribution to the work of hunger eradication, poverty reduction and maintaining border security."

Colonel Uong Dinh Tan, Head of Economic - Defense Group 337, visited the dragon fruit growing model in the area.
**Promote the effectiveness of the National Target Program, ensuring the improvement of people's lives in ethnic minority and mountainous areas**

Chairing the National Conference to review the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2025 period, with orientations for the 2026-2030 period, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the need to continuously improve the material and spiritual life of the people, ensuring that "the following year is higher than the previous year, the following term is better than the previous term"; at the same time, creating a movement of self-reliance, self-improvement to escape poverty and become rich legitimately.

The Prime Minister directed to allocate about 160,000 billion VND for the second phase of the program. In the context of many difficulties, the Prime Minister requested to concretize the Party and State's policies and guidelines, ensuring comprehensive and sustainable development, leaving no one behind. Regarding specific goals, it is necessary to ensure equal access to education, health care, culture, job creation and livelihoods for the people; the goals must be clear, easy to implement and easy to monitor.

The Prime Minister outlined 10 key tasks and solutions:

Raising awareness, identifying investment in ethnic minority and mountainous areas as development investment, which needs to be implemented with affection, responsibility and high determination. Perfecting institutions and policies, maintaining program independence, ensuring equality, focusing on vulnerable groups. Allocating and mobilizing resources, prioritizing job creation, infrastructure development, ensuring essential services such as health care, education, transportation, electricity and water.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visits the product display booth.

Strengthening connectivity, developing the economy of ethnic minorities, promoting innovation, applying technology, and digital transformation. Responding to climate change, preventing natural disasters, ensuring social security, implementing the 1 million hectare high-quality rice program in the Mekong Delta. Linking socio-economic development with national defense and security, building a national posture, promoting the role of prestigious people in the community. Implementing major resolutions, including innovation, private economy, international integration, law, education, and health.

Along with that is preserving and promoting national culture, developing cultural industry, making culture a resource for development. Building priority credit packages, supporting access to land, credit, and taxes to sustainably eliminate hunger and reduce poverty. Designing monitoring and evaluation tools, ensuring proper implementation of policies and guidelines, increasing responsibility of all levels, sectors, and localities.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that to successfully implement phase II, it is necessary to have a clear mindset, high determination, drastic and practical actions, innovative thinking, and flexible and effective working methods. He believes that the lives of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas will be increasingly improved, contributing to the sustainable and inclusive development of the country.

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.

The Ministry of National Defense continues to effectively implement the National Target Program for the 2026–2030 period.

Following the direction of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the Ministry of National Defense determined to continue to seriously implement the policies of the Party, the National Assembly, the Government and the instructions of ministries and branches on implementing the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2026-2030 period. The program is identified as an important political task, contributing to building a strong grassroots political system, maintaining political security, social order and safety, firmly protecting national borders and strengthening the great national unity bloc.

The Ministry directs agencies and units to closely coordinate with local Party committees and authorities to effectively implement projects; mobilize maximum resources, integrate programs, and promote socialization to create a combined strength. Continue to organize training courses to improve the quality of human resources; prioritize ethnic minority cadres, promote learning ethnic languages; promote the role of young volunteer intellectuals in solving the shortage of technical staff.

Lam Dong Provincial Border Guard Youth Union coordinated with local Youth Union organizations to install the "Border Lighting" project for local people.

Spreading the image of Uncle Ho's soldiers in the new era

Always present in the most difficult places, accompanying people in their daily lives, Uncle Ho's soldiers continue to write heroic history with silent, humane actions, contributing to promoting economic, cultural, and social development and consolidating the national defense posture.

A local official shared: "Letting people do it themselves is not possible, but if we do it the way the army is doing, we will definitely be successful in eliminating hunger and reducing poverty."

People in the project area also expressed their gratitude: "The soldiers came to help the villagers, everyone in the village remembers, loves, and will never forget that favor."

With the spirit of a soldier, high responsibility, close to the base, the people, holding hands, guiding, listening to the people, this way of doing things has created a change in people's awareness towards ensuring stability and ensuring national defense and security in recent years.

Military doctors guide Rao Tre villagers on how to use medicine.

Standing side by side with the people on the path of making a living and establishing a career, Uncle Ho's soldiers have contributed to the development of the economy, culture and society. And when the lives of the people are increasingly prosperous, it also means that the potential in the defense area is firmly consolidated, the image of Uncle Ho's soldiers in the new period is increasingly shining.

MAI HUYEN - HAI LINH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/quan-doi-di-dau-trong-thuc-hien-cac-chuong-trinh-muc-tieu-quoc-gia-post901844.html