Communes in disadvantaged areas face difficulties in building new rural areas.

On the morning of July 30th, the working group of the Central Steering Committee for National Target Programs, giai đoạn 2016 - 2020, inspected and monitored the implementation of the programs in Ngoc Lam and Thanh Linh communes, Thanh Chuong district.

Ngoc Lam is one of two communes relocated from Tuong Duong district to Thanh Chuong district in 2009 due to the Ban Ve Hydropower Plant resettlement project. Characterized by its remote, mountainous location and particularly difficult conditions within Thanh Chuong district, it has a high poverty rate and unsustainable economic growth.

The delegation visited the tea plantation model of Mr. Luong Van Phuong's family in Ngoc Lam commune. Photo: Phu Huong

Thanks to the implementation of Program 135, the face of the new rural area in Ngoc Lam has changed significantly. People have benefited from policy mechanisms, developed household economies, and the employment rate has reached 100%.

Regarding the New Rural Development Program, Ngoc Lam commune has so far met 8 out of 19 criteria. Many important criteria have not yet met the standards, including: schools, cultural facilities, residential housing, income, employment, production methods, education, culture, and environment.

The commune is facing difficulties in building villages and hamlets to achieve the New Rural Area status due to the implementation of the village and hamlet merger plan.

The working group met with Ngoc Lam commune (Thanh Chuong district). Photo: Phu Huong

Working with the delegation, representatives from Ngoc Lam commune expressed their desire for greater attention to training and capacity building for officials, allocation of funds from the beginning of the year, and regulations on the implementation time of support policies for poor households…

Next, the delegation inspected Thanh Linh commune - the first commune in Thanh Chuong district to achieve the New Rural Area standard in 2014. In 2018, the total income of the commune was 231.8 billion VND; the poverty rate in 2018 was 2.19% and decreased to 1.024% in the first six months of the year.

The average per capita income reached 35.83 million VND/year, an increase of 12.2 million VND compared to the time when the commune achieved the New Rural Area standard; the total investment value for New Rural Area construction to date is 107.9 billion VND. The entire commune currently has 9 villages, 4 units maintaining the title of cultural unit, 9 clans achieving the title of cultural clan; and 90% of households have achieved the title of cultural family.

Inspecting the model of growing green squash in Thanh Linh commune. Photo: Phu Huong

The commune has a relatively complete centralized waste treatment facility and is currently implementing two projects: a project to plant flowers and trees and a project to collect household waste.

Working with the communes, the delegation highly appreciated the efforts of the localities in building new rural areas. The criteria achieved have brought new lives to the people and changed the face of rural areas in the region. The delegation also requested that the localities more clearly demonstrate the solutions implemented to achieve these results, thereby continuing to improve and implement them effectively in the future.