Encourage the poor to rise up

(Baonghean) - Caring for the poor is a regular task of every unit, organization and individual in the province with many specific and practical tasks. On the occasion of the peak month "For the poor" in 2014 (from October 17 to November 18), comrade Ho Duc Phoc - Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee gave an interview to Nghe An Newspaper about the work of hunger eradication and poverty reduction in our province.

Officers of Economic - Defense Group 4 instruct Mong people on planting arrowroot in Na Ngoi (Ky Son). Photo: Tran Hai

PV:Dear Provincial Party Secretary! The campaign for the Poor has contributed to changing the spiritual and material life of many poor people, bringing opportunities to escape poverty. Could you please evaluate the work of caring for the poor in the province in recent times?

Comrade Ho Duc Phoc:Caring for the poor is a deeply humane gesture, arousing the national moral tradition and the feeling of sharing with the poor and people in difficult areas. In recent years, our province has had many practical activities to care for the poor. The Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee has issued many projects, documents and directives on hunger eradication and poverty reduction, which have been vigorously implemented by all levels and sectors with many synchronous solutions, achieving many important results with many specific and practical activities and programs such as launching the construction of the "Fund for the Poor", the peak month "For the Poor", calling for the cooperation of businesses and philanthropists in the area, etc. In the first 6 months of 2014, thanks to proactive implementation and focused propaganda and mobilization, up to now the whole province has supported 16 billion VND/17 billion VND registered with the Central Government, reaching 94% of the plan, of which the district-level fund is more than 10.4 billion VND, the provincial level is more than 5 billion VND; has focused on building 168 new houses, repairing 54 houses, and also supporting many poor households to receive medical examination and treatment. Nghe An's creative approach is to assign agencies, departments, and branches to receive support to help poor communes. This policy has mobilized resources, creating a vibrant emulation movement with many meaningful and practical actions towards poor communes by agencies and units.

It can be affirmed that the work of caring for the poor has had a widespread effect, attracting the attention and enthusiastic support of organizations, individuals, philanthropists at home and abroad and the people in the province. From this practical support, the poor in the province have more conditions and motivation to overcome difficulties and rise up. The policies on poverty reduction have really come into life, the work of hunger eradication and poverty reduction in the province has achieved positive results, the average annual poverty rate has decreased by 4%, up to now the poverty rate of the whole province is 12.5%; infrastructure has been strengthened, the rural appearance has improved, and people's living standards have improved.

PV:Nghe An's characteristic is that the poor are concentrated in the Western and coastal regions; so, in addition to the central government's general policy for the poor, does our province have any specific policies, comrade?

Comrade Ho Duc Phoc:The Western and coastal regions of Nghe An are special areas of the province, both regions are particularly important strategic areas in terms of socio-economics, national defense, security and foreign affairs of Nghe An province, the North Central region and the whole country. The Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee has issued a project to reduce poverty and improve living standards for people in the Western and coastal regions by 2020. Creating conditions and opportunities for people in the Western and coastal regions to fully access basic social services in infrastructure, culture, education, health, social security and conditions for production development to increase income, overcome poverty, become well-off and rich sustainably. Along with the investment and support of enterprises, the socio-economics, infrastructure system and people's lives in the Western region have changed positively, national defense and security have been maintained and stabilized.

The Western region and the coastal region are two regions that need special attention from the province in implementing policies for the poor. The Western region of Nghe An accounts for over 83% of the total area of ​​the province with 11 mountainous districts and towns, and the rate of poor and near-poor households in this region is also high; at the end of 2013, the rate of poor households in the Western region was 24.06%, 1.8 times higher than the general rate of poor households in the province, and the lives of people, especially ethnic minorities, are still difficult. For the coastal region of Nghe An, there are 82 km of coastline bordering 35 communes and wards in 5 districts and towns, the rate of poor households in the communes and wards in this region is up to 8.44%.

In recent years, in addition to effectively implementing the socio-economic development programs associated with the Central Government's poverty reduction work, the province also has policies under Decision No. 59/2010/QD-UBND dated August 12, 2010 on poverty reduction support for 42 communes with a poverty rate of 30% or more; Decision No. 1310/QD-UBND dated April 20, 2012 assigning 86 agencies and units to help 88 poor communes in the West, policies to support vocational training, job creation, labor export, agricultural, forestry, and fishery promotion... The province has also mobilized and attracted 120 agencies, enterprises, and units to help poor communes. From there, it has mobilized enormous resources and created a connection between civil servants and the people. The attention and direction of the Party committees, authorities, and sectors from the province to the grassroots have focused on exploiting and promoting the internal strength of each locality and the efforts of the people. The province's policy is to develop and replicate economic models so that the poor in the West and coastal areas can participate in labor, production, and business; bring scientific and technical advances to help people boost production and develop craft villages so that the poor have the opportunity to work and earn income.

PV:To reduce poverty sustainably and make the pro-poor movement truly widespread, what are the tasks of Party committees and local authorities at all levels, comrade?

Comrade Ho Duc Phoc:Poverty reduction and hunger eradication are not only economic issues, but also the basis for maintaining political and social security, ensuring national defense and security. This work requires all levels, sectors and political systems to pay attention and focus on directing, and consider this as their political task. Specifically, it is necessary to continue promoting propaganda about the purpose, meaning, content and methods of mobilizing support for the "For the Poor" Fund and continue to implement the letter of the Prime Minister and the letter of the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, propagate the achieved results, arouse the voluntary support of everyone, create resources to gradually help poor households stabilize their lives and escape poverty, contributing to rapidly reducing the poverty rate in the coming years. At the same time, Party committees and local authorities annually summarize and evaluate the work of hunger eradication and poverty reduction, replicate good practices and effective models to create a spread in the community.

To continue implementing the sustainable poverty reduction program, achieving the target of reducing the poverty rate of the whole province in 2014 to 10%, Party committees and authorities at all levels need to mobilize the strength of the political system, all levels, sectors, mass organizations, enterprises, and create consensus and active participation of all classes of people, poor households, and the poor. Hunger eradication and poverty reduction need to be associated with the new rural construction program; assign and attach responsibility to Party committees for comrades in charge of grassroots areas; investigate, review, and evaluate poor households in accordance with regulations. The Fatherland Front Committee - the "For the Poor" Fund Mobilization Committee at the provincial level and districts, cities, and towns must do a good job of managing records, settling fund revenues and expenditures in accordance with prescribed financial principles; grasp the situation of poor households to have measures to help the right subjects, helping the poor and poor areas to escape poverty.

In addition, the Fatherland Front at all levels and its member organizations have stepped up the work of mobilizing units, organizations, businesses and philanthropists to join hands in supporting the Fund "For the Poor". Calling on organizations and individuals at home and abroad to continue upholding the tradition of solidarity, mutual love and mutual assistance by taking concrete actions to provide material and spiritual support to the poor, especially those in remote, isolated and ethnic minority areas, so that they can reduce their difficulties and rise up. Hunger eradication and poverty reduction cannot be undertaken by one organization or individual, but requires the joint efforts of the whole society.

Officers and employees of the Department of Transport donated to the Fund "For the Poor".

PV:Comrade Secretary, could you please tell us the message of Nghe An in the peak month "For the poor" in 2014?

Comrade Ho Duc Phoc:Currently, the poverty rate in the province is 12.5%, the number of near-poor households and households at risk of falling back into poverty is still very high. Many localities in the province still face many difficulties; many poor households are living in dilapidated temporary houses and many poor households lack seeds, production capital, medicine... in dire need of community support. Therefore, to help poor households, stabilize their lives, and strive to escape poverty, it is necessary to make the peak month of action for the poor a climax, helping the poor in the most effective way. Therefore, Party committees, local authorities, and the Fatherland Front at all levels need to focus on the grassroots, on the poor, to further promote activities to care for the poor, improve the living standards of poor people in mountainous, remote and isolated areas. Departments, branches, sectors, and unions continue to mobilize domestic and foreign units, organizations, businesses, individuals, and people of all walks of life to wholeheartedly care for and help poor households, poor communes, and poor districts; build programs, mobilize resources and implement support activities effectively.

Video clip of the Provincial Party Secretary discussing the Month of Action for the Poor 2014:

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The provincial leaders called on all levels, sectors, socio-political organizations, compatriots and soldiers nationwide, overseas Vietnamese, businesses, foreign organizations and individuals to continue to strongly support the campaigns for the poor with practical contributions, first of all in the peak month "For the Poor" in 2014. At the same time, they called on the poor to always strive to escape poverty sustainably. All policies, support, assistance and care for the poor... will have a deeper and nobler humanity when they motivate the poor to escape poverty.

PV:Thank you very much, comrade!

Thanh Le

(Perform)