New rural construction: Reaping more sweet fruits

In 2023, despite facing many difficulties and challenges, thanks to the drastic participation of the entire political system and the consensus and solidarity of the people, many communes and districts in the province reached the new rural area (NTM) finish line on schedule.

Although not registered to meet the standards, with the efforts of the local Party Committee, government and people, Vo Tranh commune (Phu Luong) achieved the model new rural standards in 2023.

In 2023, the implementation of the National Target Program on New Rural Construction in the province encountered certain difficulties, such as: Out of 10 communes registered to meet the New Rural Standards, up to 5 communes are extremely disadvantaged, the remaining communes are all in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. The set of New Rural Criteria for the period 2021-2025 has many new criteria and targets with higher requirements at the levels of New Rural, Advanced New Rural, Model New Rural, New Rural District; the system of implementation guidance documents of ministries and functional branches is not yet synchronized...

Faced with the above difficulties, Thai Nguyen province has implemented many solutions to "overcome difficulties" to facilitate localities in the process of implementing the New Rural Construction Program.

Mr. Tran Nho Huong, Deputy Chief of Office of the Provincial New Rural Development Program Coordination Office, said: The Provincial Steering Committee for National Target Programs has focused on directing decisively, such as: Assigning to departments and branches to be in charge of targets and criteria in communes; allocating capital and cement from the beginning of the year so that localities can be proactive in implementation. At the same time, regularly issuing directive and urging documents; establishing inspection teams to work with localities to grasp progress and promptly resolve problems.

In recent years, Huong Thuong commune has focused on changing the crop structure, introducing high-value crop varieties into production. In the photo: Lily growing model implemented on the commune's land. Photo: T.L

In recent years, Huong Thuong commune (Thai Nguyen city) has focused on changing the crop structure, introducing high - value crop varieties into production. In the photo: Lily growing model implemented on the commune's land. Photo: TL

Along with the province's solutions, districts and communes registered to reach the NTM target in 2023 have also focused on overcoming difficulties in the process of implementing NTM construction. For example, in Linh Thong commune, one of the five communes registered to reach the NTM target in Dinh Hoa district, although when starting to strive to reach the NTM target in 2023, the commune only achieved 14/19 criteria, but up to now, the locality has completed 19/19 criteria. To achieve this result, in addition to State investment resources, the commune has stepped up propaganda and mobilization to mobilize the people's solidarity and consensus to effectively implement the criteria.

Mr. Luu Viet Vien, Chairman of Linh Thong Commune People's Committee, said: Our biggest concern when entering the construction of the new rural area in 2023 is mobilizing people's contributions, because the commune is still in a particularly difficult situation. Faced with the above reality, the commune has promoted communication work to create a profound change in the awareness and actions of cadres, party members and people about their roles and responsibilities in building the new rural area. Communication work is deployed in many different forms, such as direct communication, integrated at hamlet meetings, training programs, through the loudspeaker system... with a total of 450 news articles, 37 reports and 45 banners and slogans. Thanks to that, in 2023, the commune mobilized people to contribute nearly 65 billion VND, donated over 12,000 square meters of land and contributed more than 4,500 working days to participate in building the new rural area.

People of Na Chat hamlet, Linh Thong commune (Dinh Hoa) actively donated land and contributed labor to build concrete roads. Photo: TL

As for Yen Trach commune (Phu Luong), when starting to implement the plan to build a new rural area in 2023, the criteria identified by the commune as the most difficult is to reduce poor households. Because the rate of poor and near-poor households in the commune at that time still accounted for nearly 50% of the total of over 1,700 households.

Mr. Nguyen Van Bieu, Chairman of Yen Trach Commune People's Committee, shared: In order to reduce the commune's poverty rate to below 12% by the end of 2023, from the beginning of the year, the local Party Committee and government have directed to focus on promoting the construction and implementation of production models, converting the structure of crops and livestock, such as models: Growing medicinal plants; raising buffaloes and cows for fattening and breeding; raising chickens in the direction of goods...

Along with that, the commune sent cadres to learn about the circumstances of each poor household to have solutions to help, such as: Connecting with agricultural cooperatives, wood processing facilities to solve employment for family members; consulting, guiding children of working age to work in industrial parks and clusters. Thanks to that, according to statistics, the poverty rate of Yen Trach commune has now decreased to below 12%...

With the attention and direction of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, Provincial People's Committee, Steering Committee of national target programs of the province and the active participation of districts and communes, the New Rural Construction Program in the province in 2023 has achieved many impressive results, specifically: The number of communes meeting the New Rural Standards is 10 communes, cumulatively up to now the whole province has 118/126 communes meeting the New Rural Standards (reaching a rate of 93.7%); 16 communes meeting the advanced New Rural Standards, exceeding 4 communes compared to the plan, cumulatively there are 33 communes meeting the advanced New Rural Standards; 6 communes meeting the model New Rural Standards, exceeding 2 communes compared to the plan, cumulatively there are 10 communes meeting the model New Rural Standards; 2 districts meeting the New Rural Standards are Dinh Hoa and Dai Tu, exceeding 1 district compared to the plan, cumulatively there are 6 district-level units recognized as meeting the standards, completing the task of building the New Rural Standards (reaching a rate of nearly 67%)...

From the results achieved in 2023, the Steering Committee of the province's national target programs set a target that in 2024, there will be 2 more communes meeting the new rural standards, 12 communes meeting the advanced new rural standards, 2 communes meeting the model new rural standards, and Phu Luong district will be recognized as meeting the new rural standards.

The total state budget capital, combined capital, capital mobilized from people and enterprises to implement the New Rural Development Program in the province in 2023 will reach over 2,088 billion VND. Of which, the central budget is over 277 billion VND; the local budget (province, district, commune) is over 891 billion VND, the rest is mobilized from many different sources.

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