20 years ago, Son La was one of the 7 poorest provinces in the country. The whole province had 88 communes in zone 3 and 76 in zone 2 that were in particularly difficult situations. Son La is also a complex mountainous border area, with a large number of ethnic minorities living together and a high rate of poor and near-poor households. However, today, this land in the middle of the vast Northwest has had positive and continuous changes, turning difficulties and challenges into opportunities, achieving many achievements in all fields, including effectively implementing the sustainable poverty reduction program, contributing to improving and enhancing people's lives.
Mobilizing total strength
In recent years, Son La province has focused all resources, considering policy credit capital as a driving force for prioritizing investment in remote areas and ethnic minority areas, helping poor households and policy beneficiaries develop production, increase income, and improve their lives. As a result, the poverty rate in the whole province has decreased from 21.66% in 2021 to 11.11% in 2024, achieving the set target, the poverty rate of ethnic minority households has decreased from 21.34% in 2021 to 10.9% by the end of 2024.
Along with reducing the poverty rate, in the past three years (2021-2024), the policy credit capital flow in Son La province has provided loans to more than 141,000 customers with preferential interest rates, totaling more than 6,700 billion VND. In particular, focusing on lending programs for poor households, near-poor households, newly escaped poverty households, supporting job creation and production and business households in difficult areas. Typically, thanks to timely credit capital, poor districts of Thuan Chau and Sop Cop have been supported to invest in the construction of 55 infrastructure works of all kinds; and to maintain and repair 85 infrastructure works of transport, domestic water, irrigation, cultural houses, suspension bridges, etc.
Vice Chairman of Thuan Chau District People's Committee Le Hong Phong said: From the policy capital, the district has focused on investing in the Long He-Phong Lap inter-commune road project with a length of 13.72km to synchronously connect traffic infrastructure between communes in the area, ensuring smooth traffic, serving the travel of people in the area.
Reality also proves that thanks to the drastic and synchronous implementation of the Party and State's policy programs on sustainable poverty reduction, including Decree 78/2002/ND-CP on credit for the poor and other policy subjects, especially Directive No. 40-CT/TW of the Secretariat "on strengthening the Party's leadership over social policy credit", a new turning point has been created for all policy credit activities.
According to Hoang Xuan Truong, Secretary of the Party Cell and Director of the Social Policy Bank of Son La Province, throughout the journey since its establishment (2003), the entire branch has focused on mobilizing all resources, organizing timely and safe transfer of preferential capital sources from the State, helping people to conveniently and fully access the bank's services. Up to now, the total entrusted capital has reached more than 280 billion VND.
This figure may be modest compared to other localities in the country, but for a mountainous province with many difficulties like Son La, this is the result of many efforts, joining hands from the local government to directly implementing policy credit in the area. In particular, it has contributed to increasing the capital of the Social Policy Bank in the area to 7,246 billion VND, an increase of 427 billion VND compared to December 31, 2024.
Poverty reduction pillar
Along with innovating credit granting methods, the Son La Provincial Social Policy Bank branch also focuses on building, consolidating and improving the quality of operations of the Commune Transaction Point system and the network of 3,769 Savings and Loan Groups in villages and residential groups.
With such a widespread network, all poor people here can access preferential policy capital. For example, Toan Van Than's family in Khang village (Ma Pha Khinh commune, Quynh Nhai district) was previously considered a poor household. In 2021, his family borrowed capital from the Social Policy Bank to buy 4 breeding cows. Along with that, the family planted nearly 1 hectare of corn as a source of food to raise 6 goats and 2 sows.
“After 3 years, the family's herd of cows increased to 8. Thanks to the loan, in 2024 my family escaped poverty, had a decent house and had money to take care of 2 children's education,” Mr. Than shared.
Not only Mr. Than's household, in Quynh Nhai, from 2021 to now, the district has encouraged ethnic people to boldly borrow preferential loans, using loans to invest in raising livestock, caged fish, growing fruit trees and medicinal herbs.
Looking more broadly, according to data from the Son La Provincial Social Policy Bank, as of May 31, the total outstanding balance of policy credit loans reached over VND7,159 billion with over 122,000 households still in debt. Thereby, policy credit sources have continued to effectively contribute to poverty reduction, new rural construction and ensuring social security in the locality.
It can be affirmed that the policy credit capital of the Social Policy Bank has been and is the "pillar" in implementing the Programs and plans for socio-economic development and sustainable poverty reduction in the mountainous province of Son La. Ethnic minorities in remote, mountainous and border areas increasingly trust the policies of the Party and State, and at the same time, trust the team of policy credit officers.
Currently, the Social Policy Bank of Son La province continues to implement Directive 39-CT/TW dated October 30, 2024 of the Secretariat on improving the effectiveness of policy credit in the new period, contributing practically to the comprehensive and strong development of the mountainous province.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/son-la-nang-cao-hieu-qua-cac-chuong-trinh-tin-dung-chinh-sach-post887465.html
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