Focus on good credit policy profession

(Baonghean) - In recent times, the provincial social policy bank has regularly paid attention to improving policy credit skills for its staff and members. In particular, the Policy Credit Skills Competition is a meaningful activity to strengthen the cooperative relationship between the bank and socio-political organizations, while helping the staff of the bank, associations and entrusted organizations to become increasingly "politically steadfast, professionally skilled, and proficient in policies and regimes".

Nghe An is a province with a large population (over 3.2 million people), poor households and other policy beneficiaries account for a high proportion. In early 2016, the whole province had 95,189 poor households (accounting for 12.1%), 80,464 near-poor households (10.23%). Therefore, accessing and effectively using capital, especially for policy beneficiaries, is an issue that any credit institution is concerned about.

Realizing that, right from the time of establishment and operation, the provincial branch of the Social Policy Bank has proactively developed a plan to coordinate activities with departments, branches, localities, and socio-political organizations in the work of propagating and disseminating credit policies to the people; organizing credit training courses, guiding the establishment process - management operations of savings and loan groups.

Yen Thanh Social Policy Bank Team 2 practices before the competition. Photo: Viet Phuong

Currently, the Provincial Social Policy Bank is fully implementing credit programs to implement the Government's poverty reduction policy. From the 3 credit programs initially handed over, the Branch is now implementing 17 policy credit programs, monitoring and managing nearly 296 thousand borrowing households, accounting for about 38% of the total number of households in the province. The total lending turnover in nearly 15 years reached 17,361 billion VND, with 1,481 thousand households receiving loans; the lending turnover of each year is higher than the previous year, averaging 1,153 billion VND per year. The total outstanding debt as of June 20, 2017 reached 6,911 billion VND, an increase of 6,605 billion VND compared to the first day of establishment (2003), with an average annual growth rate of 25.8%.

To improve the efficiency of capital use, every year, the provincial and district-level Social Policy Bank has proactively advised the Board of Directors of the Social Policy Bank at all levels on the capital plan for lending to poor households, near-poor households, and social policy beneficiaries annually and by stage; at the same time, it has directed the District Transaction Office to properly implement the professional process, evaluate the right loan subjects, and prepare and complete loan documents in a timely manner. On the other hand, the work of inspecting and supervising the lending entrustment activities and the use of loans by members of savings and loan groups has been carried out regularly. In particular, in recent years, the provincial Social Policy Bank has successfully organized the Competition on Excellent Credit Policy Professionalism to enhance understanding, connection and create a useful playground for the staff of the Social Policy Bank and staff of entrusted socio-political organizations.

The Competition for Excellent Credit Policy Professionalism is a political and professional activity between the Bank for Social Policies and socio-political organizations entrusted with lending to improve the professional qualifications of officers, employees of the Bank for Social Policies and officers of socio-political organizations entrusted with lending in the whole province. The competition encourages officers, employees of the Bank for Social Policies Branch and officers of socio-political organizations entrusted with lending to actively learn and improve their professional qualifications and organizational management capacity to carry out the entrusted work, contributing to the successful implementation of the political tasks of the Bank for Social Policies Branch and socio-political organizations entrusted with lending in the whole province.

This is also an emulation activity to achieve practical achievements to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the implementation of Decree 78/2002/ND-CP of the Government on credit for the poor and other policy beneficiaries; to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies and to welcome the term congresses of socio-political organizations, trade union congresses at all levels, towards the grassroots trade union congress and the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies Trade Union Congress for the term 2018-2023.

Contestants, in addition to civil servants and employees in the branches of the Social Policy Bank, also include socio-political organizations that receive loans (cadres of the Women's Union, Veterans Association, Farmers' Association, Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in the province. At the commune level: cadres in the Executive Committee of the socio-political organization that receives the loans. From the district level and above: cadres of the socio-political organization that receives the loans).

Dien Chau Social Policy Bank Transaction Office disburses funds for the near-poverty program to customers. Photo: Viet Phuong

As a member of the team, Mr. Phan Huu Trang - Director of the Transaction Office of the Social Policy Bank of Yen Thanh District shared: "To participate in the contest, we focused on studying professional documents and practicing situations. This year's contest has many innovations, creating a strong influence when there is the participation of political and social organizations entrusted to be the units accompanying the policy bank to implement loans for the poor and other policy subjects.

It is worth noting that most of the staff of district and town transaction offices and provincial headquarters attended, demonstrating the spirit of learning in the industry. Although we have experience and have been well-trained, none of my colleagues and I can claim to have answered all the questions, but we are confident that through the contest, we will be able to promptly recognize and overcome limitations and draw practical lessons to apply to our professional activities.

Ms. Le Thi Hang - President of the Women's Union of Nghi Hoa Ward (Cua Lo Town) said: "Participating in the contest is an opportunity to improve understanding in the work of receiving entrusted loans, learn from experience to improve personal capacity to complete assigned tasks well. We will always join hands with the Bank for Social Policies to effectively deploy preferential credit to beneficiaries, contributing to poverty reduction, social security and local economic development".

With a unique management model where more than 99% of the bank's total outstanding loans are in credit trust activities through the Women's Union accounting for 36.05%, the Farmers' Association accounting for 31.07%, the Veterans' Association accounting for 19.6% and the Youth Union accounting for 13.28%, of course the role and position of the Union and mass organizations are extremely important, closely linked to the quality and effectiveness of policy credit.

Identifying the consolidation, improvement and improvement of the operational efficiency of the Savings and Credit Group and its Management Board as an important task to improve credit quality, the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies and socio-political organizations at all levels regularly coordinate to carry out this task; therefore, the quality of the group is constantly improved, operating stably and sustainably.

Socio-political organizations are managing 7,712 savings and credit groups with 243,045 households borrowing capital in 5,923 villages (hamlets). Up to now, 100% of villages (hamlets) in the whole province have operating savings and credit groups, serving the borrowing needs of poor households and policy beneficiaries. There are no more villages (hamlets) "empty" of policy credit.

Mr. Tran Khac Hung - Director of the Provincial Social Policy Bank said: In recent years, the entrusted lending work through socio-political organizations has synthesized a strong force from the province to the grassroots, especially the participation of the staff of the Management Board of Savings and Loan Groups has contributed to improving the efficiency of transferring State policy credit capital to beneficiaries. Therefore, organizing the contest with a large number of participants is very important.

Through the contest, the units in the branches of the Social Policy Bank and socio-political organizations receiving entrustment at all levels will be able to exchange, learn and share experiences; gather cadres with good professional skills, promote and maintain the movement of research, study, improve professional qualifications, and improve the quality of entrustment in the whole province.

Viet Phuong