The National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the period 2021-2030 (National Target Program 1719) is gradually completing its infrastructure, creating momentum for socio-economic development in the communes of Zone III in Son La province. The synchronized investment in infrastructure in particularly difficult areas has accelerated the progress of new rural development, making a significant contribution to the province achieving and exceeding many socio-economic targets in 2024. To realize the Resolution of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee on socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas, it requires not only the comprehensive and effective implementation of ethnic policies and investments by the State and local authorities, but also the efforts of the people themselves, especially the role of influential figures in the community. They are like the "tall, shady trees" of the village, diligently contributing to community work every day and leading the way in grassroots emulation movements for the people to follow... In its 10 years of formation and development, the border district of Ia H'Drai (Kon Tum) has been blessed with many cultural sources, thus forming and developing many rich and diverse forms of folk culture, bearing the unique characteristics of the 8 ethnic groups living together. Participating in the 2nd Kon Tum Province Ethnic Minority Gong and Drum Festival, the artisan team from Ia Đal commune, Ia H'Drai district, presented an art program with the theme "Colors of Thai Culture" and made a beautiful impression on friends and tourists from near and far. Thanks to the effective implementation of ethnic programs and policies, in recent years, the socio-economic situation of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in Quang Nam province has seen many positive changes. Economic and social development indicators in ethnic minority areas and remote regions have improved significantly. On the evening of December 14th, in Ha Long City, the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province organized a ceremony to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Ha Long Bay being recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage site for the first time (December 17, 1994 - December 17, 2024). In recent years, Quang Nam province has focused on fully and effectively implementing ethnic minority programs and policies, helping the ethnic minority and mountainous areas of the province to undergo significant changes. In particular, since the implementation of the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas (National Target Program 1719), it has been considered one of the important levers in narrowing the gap between mountainous and lowland areas. Reporters from the Ethnic and Development Newspaper had an exchange with Mr. Ha Ra Dieu, Deputy Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of Quang Nam province, regarding this issue. On the evening of December 14th, the People's Committee of Kon Tum province held the closing ceremony of the 5th Kon Tum Provincial Culture and Tourism Week and the 2nd Kon Tum Province Ethnic Minority Gong and Drum Festival in 2024. With decisiveness and a willingness to think outside the box and act boldly in clean agriculture, Ms. Thi Khui, 40 years old, of the Mnong ethnic group, in Dong Nai commune, Bu Dang district, Binh Phuoc province, established the Trang Co Bu Lach Organic Cashew Cooperative (HTX). The HTX has gathered people with a shared determination to build a supply chain and market for cashews for local people. The summary news of the Ethnic and Development Newspaper. The morning news on December 14th included the following noteworthy information: Two more National Intangible Cultural Heritage sites in Binh Dinh. Integrating Traditional Medicine into tourism products. Young artisans dedicate their energy to preserving the Then heritage. Along with other current news in the ethnic minority and mountainous regions. To realize the Resolution of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, it requires not only the support and investment policies of the State and local authorities being implemented synchronously and effectively... but also the efforts of the people, especially the role of influential figures in the community. They are like the "tall, shady trees" of the village, diligently contributing to community work every day and leading the way in grassroots emulation movements for the villagers to follow... After traversing the winding roads around treacherous mountain passes and towering peaks, the Quan Ba region ( Ha Giang ) appears before tourists as a unique and colorful painting of its terrain, mountains, villages, customs, traditions, and attractive stopping points, satisfying the needs of tourists from all over the country who want to explore pristine and remote lands. Son Duong district (Tuyen Quang province) is home to 19 ethnic minority groups, with rich and diverse cultural characteristics. However, the living conditions of ethnic minority and mountainous people are still difficult, especially in terms of infrastructure and income. In response to this situation, national target programs for socio-economic development have been implemented and have proven effective, bringing about positive changes in the material and spiritual lives of the people. On December 14th, the Ethnic Affairs Committee of Ca Mau province, in coordination with the Provincial Ethnic Boarding School, organized a competition titled "Understanding the Legal Regulations on Child Marriage and Consanguineous Marriage in 2024". According to the report at the 24th session of the Bac Ninh Provincial People's Council (19th term), Bac Ninh province achieved 17 out of 17 socio-economic targets, with its Gross Regional Product (GRDP) increasing by 6.03% compared to 2023. In particular, trade and services developed well, tourism revenue increased by 50%; state budget revenue increased by 13.92%; and foreign investment attracted over 4.8 billion USD, ranking first nationwide.
"Leverage" for poor communes
Chieng Khay is one of the four communes in Zone III of Quynh Nhai district for the period 2021-2025 according to Decision No. 861/QD-TTg. The entire commune has 1,586 households, 100% of whom are ethnic minorities, living in 11 villages, of which 10 are classified as particularly disadvantaged.
Given that starting point, the goal of Quynh Nhai district to bring Chieng Khay commune to the finish line of the new rural development program by the end of 2024 can be considered a very difficult one. Previously, Chieng Khay had also set a target of achieving the new rural development goal in 2022, but failed to do so.
The year 2024 marked a breakthrough for Chieng Khay in building new rural areas. As of May 2024, the commune had only met 13 out of 19 criteria and 45 out of 57 indicators. By November 2024, Chieng Khay had completed 8 out of 19 criteria and 56 out of 57 indicators for a new rural commune; the remaining income criterion is expected to be met by the end of this year to achieve the new rural commune status on schedule.
According to Decision No. 861/QD-TTg dated June 4, 2021, during the 2021-2025 period, Son La province has 126 communes in Zone III. By the beginning of 2024, the entire province will have reduced 10 communes in Zone III and 171 particularly difficult villages; it is expected that by the end of 2024, an additional 8 communes will have escaped poverty upon achieving the New Rural Development (NRD) goals.
According to Mr. Bui Dinh Hai, Chairman of the People's Committee of Chieng Khay commune, one of the driving forces behind the progress of building new rural areas in the commune is the investment and support resources from the National Target Program 1719.
With funding from the state budget and contributions from the people, in 2024, the commune concreted 21 rural roads; allocated funds for the construction of a centralized water supply system; repaired and upgraded irrigation and water supply facilities, village cultural houses, etc., contributing to the completion of rural infrastructure.
Chieng Khay is one of 202 communes in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the 2021-2025 period and one of 126 communes in Zone III of Son La province that benefit from investment and support resources from the National Target Program 1719. The program's resources have made a significant contribution to changing the face of rural and mountainous areas in particularly difficult areas of the province.
According to a report by the Ethnic Affairs Committee of Son La province, from 2022 to the present, the province has invested in the construction of 743 projects including transportation infrastructure, centralized water supply systems, education facilities , cultural centers, etc., in particularly difficult areas, under the National Target Program 1719. In addition, ethnic minority communities in the province have voluntarily donated land and directly contributed thousands of man-days and materials for the construction of rural concrete roads.
In 2024 alone, the province invested in 2 standard-compliant commune health stations, 66 school buildings, 132 irrigation projects, and maintained 291 projects in particularly difficult areas inhabited by ethnic minorities and mountainous regions of the province.
As a result, 100% of communes in the province now have paved roads leading to their centers; the number of villages and hamlets with roads accessible by car to their centers has reached 85%. It is expected that by the end of 2024, the entire province will have 74 communes meeting the standards of New Rural Development, an increase of 33 communes compared to 2019; including 10 communes achieving advanced New Rural Development status.
Growth drivers
Development in particularly disadvantaged areas has been making a significant contribution to Son La province's growth. According to the report of the Provincial People's Committee at the 10th session of the Son La Provincial People's Council on December 5, 2024, the province completed, achieved, and exceeded 25 out of 28 socio-economic targets for 2024.
According to the report of the Son La Provincial People's Committee, in 2024, despite many difficulties, the Party Committee, government, and people of all ethnic groups in Son La province continued to promote the spirit of unity, proactiveness, and creativity, striving to achieve many important and comprehensive results in all fields.
In particular, programs in the province's especially disadvantaged areas have been implemented promptly and effectively, contributing to reducing the poverty rate to the set target. Accordingly, the province's poverty rate decreased from 14.17% in 2023 to 11.17% in 2024.
This is an important foundation for Son La province to achieve its goal of reducing the poverty rate to 8.17% by 2025. At the same time, it aims to have 44% of communes in ethnic minority areas meet the new rural development standards by the end of 2025.
By the end of 2024, the health insurance participation rate in Son La province reached 96.1%; the rate of rural population using hygienic domestic water is estimated at 99%; and the average GRDP per capita reached over 56.84 million VND/year.
Along with improving infrastructure serving production and daily life, with capital from the National Target Program 1719, Son La province has been investing in completing cultural institutions, contributing to improving the spiritual life and meeting the cultural needs of ethnic minority communities.
According to a report by the Ethnic Affairs Committee of Son La province, during the period 2022-2024, the entire province allocated over 200 billion VND from the National Target Program 1719 to repair and build 191 new community cultural centers in communes and villages. This increased the percentage of villages with community centers to 92.43%, equivalent to 2,320 villages having cultural centers and traditional cultural and artistic groups.
These results contribute to meeting the cultural needs and improving the spiritual lives of ethnic minority communities; at the same time, they help localities complete the criteria for building new rural areas.
According to Mr. Luong Van Toan, Deputy Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of Son La province, the province aims to achieve a rate of 96.85% of villages having cultural centers by 2025; and for cultural and artistic groups and traditional clubs to operate regularly and with quality.
To achieve this goal, in the coming period, the Ethnic Affairs Committee will continue to coordinate with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the districts and cities to direct the review and evaluation of commune and village cultural houses in the area, and advise the Provincial People's Committee to allocate funds from the National Target Program 1719 to invest in the construction, repair, and upgrading of commune and village cultural houses.
"In particular, the province continues to prioritize communes that are completing the criteria for new rural areas, villages in especially difficult areas, villages with a large number of ethnic minorities, and those that have recently undergone mergers," Mr. Toán shared.
For the period 2021-2025, Son La province has been allocated 6,154.924 billion VND to implement all 10 component projects of the National Target Program 1719. In 2024 alone, the province's allocated capital is 1,560.02 billion VND (1,485.73 billion VND from the central government budget); of which the total allocated investment capital is nearly 916 billion VND (over 872 billion VND from the central government budget).
Source: https://baodantoc.vn/son-la-hoan-thien-ha-tang-tao-da-tang-truong-cho-cac-dia-ban-dac-biet-kho-khan-1734172936334.htm
Comment (0)