Localities worry about not completing poverty reduction targets in 2018

Poverty reduction efforts
In 2017, the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction in Nghe An continued to receive the attention and leadership of Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front, departments, branches, socio-political organizations from the province to the grassroots level; as well as the participation of the business community, creating a widespread influence and positive response from all classes of people.

Policy officers of Dien Ky commune (Dien Chau) present poor household certificates to people. Photo: Thu Giang

The rate of poverty reduction in the whole province is 2-3% annually, achieving the set target. Infrastructure, transportation, electricity, schools, irrigation, rural markets, medical stations, etc. are rapidly increased in investment, the material and spiritual life of the people, especially in ethnic minority areas, mountainous areas, and coastal areas are clearly improved. The rural appearance in all regions of the province has many improvements, contributing to accelerating the speed of new rural construction, political stability, socio-economic development and repelling social evils in the area.

Many poverty reduction models are increasingly effective, typically the long-distance pig trading business model of Mr. Phan Ba ​​Doi in Dong Phu hamlet; the concrete mixing and agricultural machinery model of Mr. Nguyen Xuan Tuan's household in Phu Van hamlet; the cow breeding model of Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien in Phu Tap hamlet; the welding economic model of Mr. Ton Quang Thao in Van Dong hamlet, etc.

Fruit tree nursery model in Chi Khe commune (Con Cuong). Photo: Thu Giang

Mr. Nguyen Dao Quy - Chairman of the Commune People's Committee excitedly shared: "According to the results of the investigation and review at the end of 2017, the poverty rate of the commune was 4.84% (86 households) compared to 9.41% (equivalent to 166 households) in 2016, quantitatively demonstrating the efforts of the locality. People's income has been significantly improved and increased, contributing to encouraging Khanh Thanh commune to strive to register to reach the new rural destination this year. "We will be determined to maintain the momentum of poverty reduction, it is estimated that in 2018 we will strive to achieve a poverty reduction rate of between 0.5-0.8%" - Mr. Quy said.

Resolution No. 13/2017/NQ-HDND dated December 20, 2017 on the socio-economic development plan for 2018 sets the target of reducing the poverty rate in 2018 from 2.0-3.0%. Recently, the Provincial People's Committee sent a document to localities on assigning the main targets of the socio-economic plan for 2018, including the target of reducing the poverty rate. However, through a preliminary survey, some places expressed concern about achieving the poverty reduction target.

For example, in Dien Chau district, in 2017, the poverty rate in the area was only 2.41%, down 1.22% compared to the same period in 2016, exceeding the target set by the district People's Council resolution to reduce by 0.5-1% each year. However, when knowing the information that the target of reducing the poverty rate in Dien Chau was assigned to strive for in 2018 was 1.2-1.5%, the district's Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs - the department in charge of advising on poverty reduction work, still seemed quite concerned. Ms. Pham Thi Dao - Deputy Head of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, worried: "The period of strongest poverty reduction was when the district focused on promoting new rural construction in communes from about 2015 onwards. Currently, besides households that have not escaped poverty, our most significant difficulty is the increase in the number of newly poor households, mainly due to people suffering from serious illnesses, accidents,... losing the ability to work, and having unstable income. Preliminary statistics show that the whole district still has about 200 households in this category, making it very difficult to escape poverty!"

People in the mountainous district of Con Cuong strive to produce and escape poverty. Photo: Thu Giang

Indeed, through random research in Hamlet 2, Dien Ky Commune, where there are currently 7/47 poor households in the commune, most of these households are considered "sustainably poor", such as the family of Mrs. Pham Thi Lam, a single mother raising 2 young children of school age with an income of less than 1 million VND/month, the family of Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, who is constantly sick, has been bedridden for more than a year, needs someone to be on duty, take care of, and raise a grandchild who has just entered 2nd grade, all relying on the monthly social protection policy money... The most recently escaped poverty household, Mrs. Phan Thi Thanh, also does not have enough strength to rise up on her own, but relies on the amount of more than 30 million VND from organizations, unions, businesses, etc. to help rebuild her dilapidated house. In the whole commune, if we compare the number of poor households at the end of 2015 (117) with the number at the end of 2017 (47), it is clear that the transformation of Dien Ky commune cannot be denied. However, as the commune policy officer also admitted, maintaining the poverty reduction momentum as in previous years is very difficult in the current reality.

Sharing this concern, the representative of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Con Cuong district also said that this mountainous district cannot achieve the target of reducing the poverty rate by 4.5-5.5% this year. The latest data from the inspection and re-examination of the results of the poverty household review shows that the poverty rate of Con Cuong by the end of 2017 was 23.54%, down 3.02% compared to 2016, not meeting the Resolution of the District Party Congress and the poverty reduction target assigned by the province (4%-5%).

The causes were determined to be the unstable employment and income situation of workers; complicated weather and climate changes, unstable market prices significantly affecting production and people's lives. Poor households are concentrated in particularly difficult communes, social protection families; resources for implementing poverty reduction programs are limited, investment levels are low, leading to slow poverty reduction and a high risk of falling back into poverty...

Therefore, in parallel with advising on key solutions in 2018, which is to continue supporting poor households to improve their housing, borrow capital to develop production and business, and build models to attract and create jobs for local workers, "The Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs will advise the District Party Committee and the District People's Committee to issue a document requesting the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to synthesize and submit to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration and adjustment of the poverty reduction target to be consistent with the resolution assigned by the District People's Council and the current striving ability of Con Cuong" - Head of the Department Le Van Hong shared.