'Leverage' for development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas

Tasks and roles through historical periods

On May 3, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh signed Decree No. 58/SL on the establishment of the Department of Ethnic Minorities, the first state management agency in the ethnic field of our country. Then, in Nghe An, on November 3, 1946, in Yen Dung Thuong village, Vinh city, the 3rd Provincial Party Congress decided to establish the Department of Ethnic Minorities of Nghe An province.

Ky Son High School. Photo courtesy of TC

The establishment of the National Minority Office aims to help the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Administrative Committee lead and direct mountainous districts and take care of "Organizing, educating ideology and seeking benefits for ethnic minorities". Accordingly, Nghe An is one of the first provinces in the country to establish a specialized agency for ethnic minority work under the direct management of the Chairman of the Provincial Administrative Committee. The first Head of the National Minority Office is Comrade Luong Vinh Phuc - Member of the Provincial Administrative Committee.

In the early days of its establishment, overcoming many difficulties, the Nghe An Provincial National Minority Office successfully completed its assigned tasks. During the period of 1946 - 1954, the National Minority Office made important contributions to many urgent tasks of the province: Implementing solidarity, consolidating the organization of the people's democratic government, building the National United Front; organizing, educating ideology, propagating the Party and State's policies and guidelines, opposing the French colonialists' plot to divide the nation; propagating against the French colonialists' policy of establishing the "Thanh - Nghe Autonomous Thai Region"...

Comrade Vi Van Son - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Ethnic Minorities Committee presented gifts to prestigious people among ethnic minorities. Photo: TL Van Anh

During the period of 1954 - 1975, in May 1955, the Party Central Committee issued a directive on the organization of ethnic agencies at the regional and provincial levels. The directive required: It is necessary to strengthen the Party's leadership on ethnic work, therefore, it is necessary to organize agencies that directly assist Party committees in directing work in ethnic minority areas. In the provinces, it is necessary to organize the Provincial Ethnic Minority Subcommittee (replacing the National Minority Office) to directly assist the Provincial Party Committee. On July 11, 1959, the Central Secretariat of the Vietnam Workers' Party issued Directive No. 147-CT/TW on strengthening leadership in the work of consolidating and expanding the Western region of the former Inter-Zone 4 provinces. Implementing that Directive, in August 1959, the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee issued a decision to establish the Western Region Steering Committee to replace the Provincial Ethnic Minority Subcommittee. In 1968, the Western Steering Committee was dissolved and the Ethnic Committee was re-established. Along with that, on May 9, 1968, the Nghe An Provincial Administrative Committee issued a decision to establish the Mountainous Committee...

Agricultural technical staff instruct people on fruit tree planting techniques in Xieng My, Tuong Duong. Photo: Hoang Vinh

Through historical periods and in order to suit the functions and tasks of each period, the Ethnic Affairs Agency of Nghe An province has changed its name many times: Mountainous Areas Committee (1976 - 1985); Ethnic Affairs Committee (1985 - 1992); Ethnic Affairs and Mountainous Areas Committee (1992 - 2004); Ethnic Affairs Committee (2004 - present). In any period, with any name, the Ethnic Affairs Committee has always met the requirements of its tasks with many important contributions to the important development goals and achievements of the province.

Ethnic minorities in Nghe An are 491,267 people, accounting for 14.76% of the province's population and 40.93% of the population in mountainous areas. There are 47 ethnic groups, of which the majority are: Thai (338,559 people), Tho (71,420 people), Kho Mu (43,139 people), Mong (33,957 people), O Du (411 people).

Important move

One of the important milestones in the formation and development process of the Ethnic Minorities Committee of Nghe An province is that from 2015 up to now, ethnic affairs in general have been paid attention to by the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee, focusing on directing branches, levels, agencies, and units in the area to carry out socio-economic development tasks, build and deploy plans, direct and implement ethnic programs, projects, and policies of the Party and State; ensure social security, national defense, security, and social order and safety; preserve and promote the cultural identity of ethnic minorities...

Western Nghe An route. Photo: Hoang Vinh

From 2015 to present, implementing the socio-economic development plan, the socio-economic infrastructure of the province, especially the infrastructure of the Western region with investment resources from Program 135, Program 30a, new rural areas, the National Target Program on socio-economic development of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas for the period 2021 - 2030... and other resources have created important changes. The transportation system in the province continues to be invested in and built; irrigation infrastructure is invested in; the power grid system continues to be invested in and upgraded; medical facilities are renovated, gradually meeting the needs of medical examination and treatment of the people; the school system is invested in and built more spaciously...

Na Ngoi 2 Primary School, Ky Son District. Photo: Hoang Vinh

Education and training in the Western region have made many positive advances. Up to now, the number of schools meeting national standards in the whole province has reached 61.8%. The rate of ethnic minority students attending school at the right age has been maintained at a high level. Vocational education in the Western region has received attention and has had many clear changes, the quality of vocational education has been gradually improved, the network of vocational education facilities has been gradually planned and developed quite synchronously.

Disease prevention, treatment and health care for the people are focused on. The work of issuing health insurance cards to the poor, near-poor and ethnic minorities is carried out relatively fully, creating favorable conditions for the poor, near-poor and ethnic minorities to use health services.

The cultural and spiritual life of ethnic minorities has also been significantly improved. The effectiveness of the movement "All people unite to build a cultural life" and the construction of cultural institutions at the grassroots level has brought about positive changes, raising the level of cultural enjoyment of the people, contributing to preserving and promoting good values, while pushing back backward customs and social evils, towards a civilized lifestyle...

Quy Chau people develop industries and services. Photo: Hoang Vinh

Information and propaganda work has been focused on completion and improvement, contributing positively to the propaganda and dissemination of the Party's guidelines, the State's policies and laws, ethnic policies being implemented in the area, and economic development guidance columns. Currently, in the communes of the Western region, radio and television are broadcast in ethnic languages ​​or bilingual in ethnic languages ​​and Vietnamese, and there are landline and mobile phones to meet the communication needs of the people. The cultural post office has been effective, the transmission network has been widely developed, and fiber optic cables have reached district centers and about 92% of commune centers. The rate of rural people using clean water for daily life is high. Currently, in the ethnic minority and mountainous areas, the movement to build new rural areas has been well implemented and 1 district-level unit has completed the task of building new rural areas.

Implement many key programs and projects

During the period 2015 - 2023, the Central Government has had over 118 direct and indirect policies implemented nationwide, Nghe An province has seriously and effectively implemented them.

In particular, implementing Decision No. 1719/QD-TTg dated October 14, 2021 of the Prime Minister on approving the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period, Phase I from 2021 to 2025, the Ethnic Minorities Committee of Nghe An province regularly coordinates with departments, branches, units and localities to implement ethnic policies and ethnic work in a timely manner, to the right subjects and in accordance with regulations. Focusing on the effective implementation and urging the timely disbursement of capital sources under the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas that have been assigned.

Over the years, with the advice of the Ethnic Committee, Nghe An province has also fully and promptly implemented policies and regimes for prestigious people among ethnic minorities; which have been agreed upon, evaluated and recognized by the prestigious people.

Continue to contribute significantly to the development of the province

Khe Bo Hydropower Plant. Photo: Hoang Vinh

With the results in performing its roles and tasks, and important contributions over 77 years of construction and development, the Ethnic Minorities Committee of Nghe An province has contributed to affirming the position, tasks, and importance of ethnic work that has been increasingly raised in the political system and the whole society. Specifically, it has contributed to the successful implementation of the goals and tasks of socio-economic development, security and defense of the province. Social security work in ethnic minority areas has been directed and effectively implemented by all levels and sectors. Investment programs and policies in ethnic minority and mountainous areas have been effective, ensuring publicity and transparency for the right purposes and objects; the ethnic policy system has been fully and promptly implemented, gradually shifting from direct support policies for each household to support for communities, groups of households, and supporting people to rise out of poverty.

Promoting the tradition of overcoming difficulties to successfully complete tasks over the past 77 years, in the coming time, the Ethnic Minorities Committee of Nghe An province will continue to implement the directives, resolutions, and conclusions of the Party, Government, and National Assembly; decisions, directives, and management documents of the Prime Minister; directives of the Ethnic Minorities Committee and central ministries and branches related to ethnic work; especially continuing to carry out ethnic work in the new situation.

Operating the water supply system in Que Phong. Photo: Hoang Vinh

Do a good job of advising on the development of the Provincial Party Committee's Directive on Ethnic Affairs, taking advantage of the leadership of Party committees at all levels on Ethnic Affairs and Ethnic Policies in the period of 2021 - 2025 and the following years; advise on the preliminary and final review of a number of policies issued by the Provincial People's Council and People's Committee to supplement and propose new policies suitable to reality. Advise on the synchronous and effective implementation of ethnic policies and the National Target Program on socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period of 2021-2025 in the province.

At the same time, the Provincial Ethnic Committee continues to implement key programs and projects to create "leverage" for development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas of the province: Overall project on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021-2030; National target program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021-2030...