Motivate the poor to rise up

bai-chinh(1).jpg — Mr. Duong Van Tien - Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Thai Nguyen province (far right) visited and presented gifts to families of meritorious people in Dinh Hoa district on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2024. Photo: N. Phuong.

That is the sharing of Mr. Duong Van Tien - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Thai Nguyen province with reporters of Dai Doan Ket Newspaper.

Reporter: Thai Nguyen is currently one of the leading economic provinces in the Northern midland and mountainous region and has achieved many important results in poverty reduction. In that context, how has the work of caring for the poor in the area changed, sir?

Mr. Duong Van Tien: Thanks to the efforts and solidarity of the entire political system and all classes of people, Thai Nguyen has achieved important results in socio-economic development, new rural construction and sustainable poverty reduction. In 2023, the poverty rate according to the new standards will be only 3.02%.

Although Thai Nguyen has achieved many important results in poverty reduction, some mountainous and highland districts such as Dong Hy and Vo Nhai still face many difficulties, and the task of poverty reduction still poses many challenges. In the context of increasingly developed society, the work of caring for the poor has also changed significantly. If in the past, hunger eradication was accompanied by poverty reduction, now poverty reduction needs to be combined to effectively address the lack of basic social services for poor households, near-poor households, and newly escaped poverty households; apply digital transformation in helping the poor... so that poor households and near-poor households can improve their quality of life. The implementation of the program "Tet Peak Week for the Poor" in recent years in Thai Nguyen is a typical example.

So, can you tell us about some outstanding activities to care for the poor during Tet through the "Tet Peak Week for the Poor" during the recent Giap Thin Lunar New Year?

- Implementing Directive No. 26 dated November 23, 2023 of the Secretariat on organizing the Year of the Dragon in 2024, the Standing Committee of Thai Nguyen Provincial Party Committee issued Notice No. 2210 dated December 22, 2023 on organizing the implementation of "Tet Peak Week for the Poor" in 2024. The Provincial Steering Committee held a Conference to deploy the Plan to implement "Tet Peak Week for the Poor", in which it directed districts and cities to establish Steering Committees and issue implementation plans at the district level.

The Standing Committee of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee has coordinated with the government and socio-political organizations to propagate, mobilize, and mobilize resources; coordinate and unify between the Fatherland Front Committees at all levels with socio-political organizations so that the mobilization and support work is highly effective; use mobilization resources to ensure publicity, transparency, and strictness, without errors. The mobilization takes place in many diverse and lively forms. In addition to traditional mobilization activities, mobilization through social networks and applying digital transformation also has a positive effect. Many sectors and localities quickly inform and propagate through social networks, combined with direct mobilization, which brings high efficiency.

The mobilization and coordination of support resources were carried out on a voluntary and self-conscious basis, contributing to caring for and helping poor and near-poor households. At the end of the program "Tet Peak Week for the Poor", the whole province mobilized nearly 35 billion VND, of which 20.3 billion VND was mobilized, the rest was in kind. From the mobilized funds, localities supported and presented gifts to all poor and near-poor households (19,706 households) with a support level of 600,000 VND/poor household, 500,000 VND/near-poor household. The support process was applied digital transformation through social security accounts for poor and near-poor households to ensure timeliness and compliance with regulations. Along with that, the Standing Committee of the Fatherland Front Committee of Thai Nguyen province has consulted and coordinated with localities to organize delegations for the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and members of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee to visit and give gifts in localities.

Thai Nguyen still has some areas facing difficulties. How has the work of taking care of the poor during Tet in these areas been carried out, sir?

- For localities that are still facing difficulties such as Vo Nhai and Dong Hy districts, we have determined to combine local mobilization resources with the support of mobilized funds from the provincial level. In addition, the Front officials at the grassroots level are also very active and creative in mobilization. 2023 is a year of economic difficulties, so the Front officials must actively go deeper and closer to businesses, philanthropists and people. Dong Hy district mobilized 1.34 billion VND for gifts this Tet, not to mention mobilizing to build Great Unity houses; Vo Nhai district mobilized 1.06 billion VND. Combined with the support of the province, people in poor and near-poor households can welcome a happy Tet in the affection of the community.

Thanks to that, not only Tet gifts, many households were also given food, warm clothes, bicycles, ... and many other household items. The work of mobilizing to help the poor has changed in "quality" like that. In the whole province, this time alone, the support and registration for housing support for poor households reached 80 Great Solidarity houses; 345 bicycles were given to students from poor households and households in difficult circumstances; many gifts in kind, necessities, food, warm clothes, support for medical examination and treatment, free medicine, support for scholarships for students, support for construction of other civil works ...

Could you tell us some of Thai Nguyen's experiences in organizing the "Tet Peak Week for the Poor" during the recent Tet holiday?

- First of all, to be successful, it requires the attention, support, and close direction of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, and Party committees and authorities at all levels; the implementation process requires close coordination between the Fatherland Front Committees at all levels with the authorities and member organizations, especially mobilizing the active participation of the entire political system and the support of businesses, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists. Regarding the mobilization method, the Front and mass organizations at all levels still need the most enthusiasm, dedication, and attachment to the grassroots, thereby advising on the development of a realistic plan, while at the same time convincing businesses, philanthropists, and the people; in addition, the implementation process needs to actively apply digital transformation, combining traditional mobilization methods with "remote" mobilization through social networking platforms; at the end of the Program, it is necessary to evaluate and draw lessons from the implementation process. That will help improve work efficiency.

Thank you very much!

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