Prevent local authorities from reacting to the New Rural Development Criteria.

"The set of criteria for new rural areas is of great importance to the success or failure of the new rural development program. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development must focus its efforts on perfecting this set of criteria, to prevent localities from reacting negatively due to differing interpretations during implementation," said Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue chaired a meeting to discuss the set of criteria for new rural areas in the 2016-2020 period. Photo: VGP/Thanh Chung

On September 13th, Politburo member and Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue, Head of the Steering Committee for the National Target Program on Building New Rural Areas, chaired a meeting of the Steering Committee to discuss the set of criteria for new rural areas for the period 2016-2020.

Mr. Tran Thanh Nam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Deputy Head of the Steering Committee, stated that after more than five years of practical testing, the national criteria for building new rural areas have shown that some criteria are not entirely suitable to the specific realities of each region. Therefore, it is necessary to review, amend, supplement, and issue a new framework set of criteria for new rural communes in the 2016-2020 period.

The review, revision, and supplementation of this set of criteria was also requested by the National Assembly in Resolution No. 100/2015/QH13 on approving the investment policy for national target programs for the period 2016-2020, and is linked to the latest directive of the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress: "Transforming the rural economic structure in conjunction with building new rural areas and the urbanization process in a rational manner" and "focusing on industrialization and modernization of agriculture and rural areas in conjunction with building new rural areas".

After listening to the comments from leaders of ministries and sectors, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue, Head of the Steering Committee for the Program, emphasized: “The set of criteria for new rural areas is of great importance to the success or failure of the new rural development program in the coming period. Drafting a few words incorrectly will render it unusable. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development must focus its efforts on perfecting this set of criteria, preventing localities from reacting negatively due to differing interpretations during implementation.”

According to the Head of the Steering Committee, to revise and supplement this set of criteria, it is necessary to base it on Resolution No. 26-NQ/T.Ư "On agriculture, farmers, and rural areas" of the 7th Central Committee Meeting of the 10th Party Congress, which identified the basic component of new rural areas as being at the commune level and set out 5 goals for building new rural areas: improving the material and spiritual lives of rural people; developing agriculture and rural areas according to planning with a synchronized infrastructure system that meets long-term development requirements; a green, clean, and beautiful environment; preserving and promoting the cultural identity of different regions; and a solid political system.

Looking at the goals for building new rural areas outlined in Resolution 26, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue affirmed: "The soft criteria of new rural areas are very important, ranging from people's lives, security, social safety, culture, environment, and the strength of the political system. Then, the hard criteria are merely the substance of development."

Emphasizing the value of the new rural development goals outlined in the Central Committee's Resolution for the coming period, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue also pointed out three key issues in new rural development that have been tested in practice. These are: firstly, the criteria for new rural development must have characteristics, specificities, and levels of suitability for each region and locality, rather than being the same for all regions; secondly, new rural development must align with the goal of building model new rural areas alongside civilized urban areas; and thirdly, it is necessary to integrate resources from other national target programs and the United Nations' sustainable development programs with new rural development to avoid fragmentation and waste.

Therefore, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that the National Criteria for New Rural Development address the five objectives of the new rural development program and resolve three issues that have emerged after five years of implementing the old criteria. Accordingly, the new criteria will still include 19 criteria, serving as a "framework" for unified implementation nationwide. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and other ministries and agencies are to carefully review the criteria, standards, and content to ensure they are consistent with Decision No. 1600/QD-TTg dated August 16, 2016, of the Prime Minister approving the National Target Program for New Rural Development for the period 2016-2020 and the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress on New Rural Development, and submit them to the Prime Minister for promulgation of the National Criteria for New Rural Development for the period 2016-2020.

Regarding the strengthening of decentralization in the implementation of new rural development criteria and standards, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that they adhere to the common standards of each ministry and sector. Accordingly: “Ministries and sectors will guide and concretize criteria under their state management functions into specific standards. Provincial and centrally-administered city People's Committees will base their detailed regulations on the guidance of ministries and sectors to ensure they are appropriate to the natural and social conditions and climate change situation in their localities, but without lowering the targets and standards of the criteria,” Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue requested.

At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue also gave his opinion on revising the criteria for new rural development in the 2016-2020 period for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to finalize and submit to the Prime Minister for approval. He also assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to finalize the documents and prepare for the nationwide online meeting on new rural development, which will be held as soon as possible.

According to Chinhphu.vn