19 national criteria for new rural communes in the 2016 - 2020 period

(Baonghean) - According to the National Criteria for New Rural Communes for the 2016 - 2020 period with 19 criteria recently issued by the Prime Minister, the income criterion is up to 59 million VND/person/year.

Of the 19 criteria, the planning group has 1 criterion (1 - planning), the Socio-economic Infrastructure group has 8 criteria (2 - transportation, 3 - irrigation, 4 - electricity, 5 - schools, 6 - cultural facilities, 7 - rural commercial infrastructure, 8 - information and communication, 9 - residential housing), the economic and production organization group has 4 criteria (10 - income, 11 - poor households, 12 - employed workers, 13 - production organization), the Cultural - Social - Environmental group has 6 criteria (14 - education and training, 15 - Health, 16 - culture, 17 - environment and food safety, 18 - political system and access to law, 19 - national defense and security).

For each criterion, the decision specifies general targets as well as targets for each region: Northern midlands and mountains, Red River Delta, North Central, South Central Coast, Central Highlands, Southeast, Mekong River Delta.

New rural road in Phuc Thanh commune (Yen Thanh). Photo: Van Hai

Regarding the average income per capita in rural areas by 2020, the general target is from 45 million VND or more; for the Northern Midlands and Mountains, the North Central region is from 36 million VND or more; the Red River Delta region is from 50 million VND or more; the South Central Coast and Central Highlands region is from 41 million VND or more; the Southeast region is from 59 million VND or more; the Mekong River Delta is from 50 million VND or more.

In particular, traffic criteria include the following contents: Commune roads and roads from commune centers to district roads are asphalted or concreted, ensuring convenient car travel all year round; village, hamlet, and inter-village, hamlet, and inter-hamlet roads are at least hardened, ensuring convenient car travel all year round; alleys and hamlets are clean and not muddy in the rainy season; main intra-field roads ensure convenient transport of goods all year round. The provincial People's Committee has specific regulations to suit the planning, actual conditions, and socio-economic development needs, ensuring the connectivity of the local traffic system.

Regarding the multidimensional poverty rate for the period 2016 - 2020, the general target is 6% or less. The target by region for the Northern Midlands and Mountains is 12% or less; the Red River Delta is 2% or less; the North Central and South Central Coast regions are 5% or less; the Central Highlands is 7% or less; the Southeast region is 1% or less and the Mekong Delta is 4% or less.

Environmental and food safety criteria include the following contents: Percentage of households using hygienic and clean water according to regulations; Percentage of production - business establishments, aquaculture, craft villages ensuring environmental protection regulations; construction of landscapes, green - clean - beautiful, safe environment; burial in accordance with regulations and planning; solid waste in the area and wastewater from concentrated residential areas, production - business establishments are collected and treated according to regulations; Percentage of households with toilets, bathrooms, and clean domestic water tanks that ensure 3 clean (clean house, clean kitchen, clean alley); Percentage of livestock households with livestock barns that ensure environmental hygiene; Percentage of households and food production and business establishments complying with food safety regulations.

The criteria for political system and legal access include 6 contents: Commune cadres and civil servants meet standards; there are enough organizations in the grassroots political system according to regulations; the Party Committee and communal government meet the "clean and strong" standard; the commune's socio-political organization is good or better; the commune meets the legal access standards according to regulations; ensuring gender equality and preventing domestic violence; protecting and supporting vulnerable people in the areas of family and social life.

The Prime Minister requested relevant ministries and branches, based on their state management functions, to issue implementation instructions for the criteria and indicators of the Criteria Set.

The People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities, based on the guidance of relevant ministries and branches, shall make specific regulations for groups of communes in accordance with specific conditions and socio-economic development needs, linking new rural construction with restructuring the agricultural sector, and implementing industrialization and modernization of agriculture and rural areas.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development synthesizes the instructions of relevant ministries and branches to issue handbooks and documents guiding the implementation of the set of criteria for new rural communes in the 2016-2020 period for localities; research and direct the piloting of new rural models; propose criteria to improve the quality of communes that have been recognized as meeting new rural standards, criteria for building new rural commune models, and submit them to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision.

This Decision takes effect from December 1, 2016 and replaces Decision No. 491/QD-TTg dated April 16, 2009 of the Prime Minister on promulgating the National Criteria Set on New Rural Areas and Decision No. 342/QD-TTg dated February 20, 2013 of the Prime Minister amending a number of criteria of the National Criteria Set on New Rural Areas.

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