Spread the movement "Repaying gratitude"
Identifying that caring for families with meritorious services and people with revolutionary contributions is an important and regular political task and the responsibility of the whole society, in recent years, the Party Committees and authorities at all levels of Nghe An province have implemented many specific and practical tasks, contributing to improving the material and spiritual life of people with meritorious services, demonstrating the nation's morality of "When drinking water, remember its source".
On the occasion of the 77th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27, 1947 - July 27, 2024), Nghe An Newspaper had an interview with Ms. Ho Thi Chau Loan - Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs on this issue.
PV:In recent years, the implementation of policies for people with meritorious services and the movement of “Repaying gratitude” has received special attention from our Party and State. Could you please tell us how these activities are implemented in the province?
Ms. Ho Thi Chau Loan:During the nation’s long resistance wars, along with the whole country, Nghe An had tens of thousands of outstanding sons joining the army, youth volunteers, and frontline laborers on all battlefields. More than 45,000 sons of Nghe An heroically sacrificed their lives; more than 56,000 wounded and sick soldiers left a part of their blood and bones on the battlefield.
Currently, the whole province has 65,417 meritorious people receiving monthly allowances, including 3 revolutionary veterans, 33 pre-uprising cadres, 35 heroic Vietnamese mothers, 19 People's Armed Forces Heroes, Labor Heroes in the resistance war; 29,619 war invalids, people enjoying policies like war invalids; 9,051 sick soldiers; 13,102 resistance fighters and their children infected with toxic chemicals; 6 people with meritorious services to the revolution; 1,103 people serving meritorious people; 354 resistance fighters who were imprisoned or exiled by the enemy; 12,902 people receiving martyrs' allowances and other beneficiaries.
Imbued with the ethics of “When drinking water, remember its source” and “Repaying gratitude”, over the past time, the Party Committee, government and people of Nghe An province have always paid close attention and effectively implemented the work of “Repaying gratitude” to remember and honor the contributions of heroic martyrs, war invalids, sick soldiers and people with meritorious services to the revolution.
Policies and regimes for people with meritorious services and their families are always given attention and implemented promptly. In addition to implementing regular subsidies and one-time subsidies, from 2022 to June 2024, the whole province has implemented nursing care for 51,099 people with meritorious services and relatives of martyrs; supported assistive devices and orthopedic devices for 6,080 people; implemented preferential education and training regimes for 3,280 people with meritorious services and their children; purchased health insurance for over 154,000 people with meritorious services and relatives of people with meritorious services who are eligible for health insurance...
Along with that, the work of searching, collecting and identifying the remains of martyrs with missing information has been focused on. From 2022 to now, the province has searched for and collected 381 remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos and buried them at Nghi Loc District Martyrs' Cemetery; carried out procedures to adjust and supplement information on 84 tombstones of martyrs buried in the area; requested competent authorities to identify the remains of martyrs with missing information for 235 martyrs' graves using the empirical method; carried out procedures to request competent authorities to conduct DNA testing to identify the remains of 110 martyrs...
In particular, along with the good implementation of preferential policies for people with revolutionary contributions, in recent years, the movement of "Repaying gratitude", supporting people with revolutionary contributions in difficult circumstances with housing, receiving support and care for Vietnamese Heroic Mothers; helping and creating conditions for people with revolutionary contributions and their families to develop the economy, eliminate hunger and reduce poverty... has been actively responded to by Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations, and people of all walks of life in the province. In more than 2 years (2022 - June 2024), the whole province has mobilized over 41 billion VND from the "Repaying gratitude" Fund. From the "Repaying gratitude" Fund and mobilization from organizations, individuals, and enterprises, support has been given to build new and repair houses for 479 policy families with housing difficulties, with a total value of 20,393 million VND; presented 288 savings books to meritorious people and martyrs' relatives, amount of 1,145 million VND...
The work of visiting, encouraging and giving gifts to people with revolutionary contributions and their relatives on holidays and Tet has been promoted by agencies, units and localities in the province.
During the Lunar New Year and the anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27), over 2 years, the whole province had over 747,370 people with revolutionary contributions and their relatives receiving gifts from the President, gifts from the local budget, from the Gratitude Fund and gifts from socialized sources, with a total implementation cost of over 345.3 billion VND.
PV:In the process of implementing the policy for people with meritorious services, what difficulties and problems are there, madam?
Ms. Ho Thi Chau Loan:Currently, Nghe An is managing and paying benefits to over 65,400 meritorious people with a total monthly payment of over 153 billion VND.
This is a very large number compared to many provinces and cities in the country. The Ordinance on Preferential Treatment for People with Revolutionary Contributions in 2020 and Decree No. 131/2021/ND-CP dated December 30, 2021 of the Government have supplemented many preferential regimes and policies to contribute to stabilizing and gradually improving the lives of people with revolutionary contributions and their relatives; standardizing the conditions and criteria for considering and recognizing people with revolutionary contributions according to strict principles, deserving and appropriate subjects.
However, in the implementation process, there are still some problems and shortcomings, such as regulations on records and procedures for granting the Certificate of "Fatherland's Gratitude" to those who died in the cases specified in Article 14 of the Ordinance but have not been granted the Certificate of "Fatherland's Gratitude", whose relatives have been granted preferential treatment from January 1, 1995 to September 30, 2006; regulations on the time to enjoy the regime of Vietnamese Heroic Mothers or policies for resistance fighters and their children infected with toxic chemicals...
The problems and shortcomings have been compiled by the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, and advised by the Provincial People's Committee to propose to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs for appropriate adjustments and amendments.
In addition, some subjects participated in the resistance war and revolution but currently do not have documents or evidence to prove it, so it is difficult to consider and resolve the regime for this group of subjects.
PV:In addition to the mechanisms and policies of the Central Government, what special policies has Nghe An had to contribute to improving the lives of people with revolutionary contributions?
Ms. Ho Thi Chau Loan:In recent years, in addition to the policies for people with revolutionary contributions of the Central Government, Nghe An has had specific policies such as Resolution No. 32/2020/NQ-HDND dated December 13, 2020 of the Provincial People's Council stipulating support policies for people with revolutionary contributions, relatives of people with revolutionary contributions from poor households in Nghe An province for the period 2021-2025; Resolution No. 30/2021/NQ-HDND dated December 9, 2021 of the Provincial People's Council stipulates the social assistance standards and support policies for a number of social protection subjects in Nghe An province, including support policies for people with congenital disabilities whose biological fathers or mothers have enjoyed or are enjoying preferential allowances for people with revolutionary contributions, and for biological children of resistance fighters infected with toxic chemicals (third-generation victims of Agent Orange/dioxin).
From 2021 to 2024, the province has provided support to 6,693 households and 9,368 subjects belonging to poor households with revolutionary contributions, with a total budget of nearly 58.44 billion VND; supported 520 people with congenital disabilities whose biological fathers or mothers have enjoyed or are enjoying preferential subsidies for children of resistance fighters infected with toxic chemicals (third generation), with a total budget of 1,495 million VND. Thereby, contributing to reducing the number of poor households with revolutionary contributions from 2,126 households in 2022 to 1,435 households in early 2024.
PV:To celebrate the 77th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day, what are the key activities in the province, Madam?
Ms. Ho Thi Chau Loan:On the occasion of the 77th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27, 1947 - July 27, 2024), to continue to honor, show gratitude and promote the work of caring for and repaying gratitude to war invalids, sick soldiers, relatives of martyrs, and people with meritorious services to the revolution, on May 30, 2024, the Provincial People's Committee issued Plan No. 405/KH-UBND on organizing activities to celebrate the 77th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day. Accordingly, it has organized extensive propaganda about the purpose and meaning of War Invalids and Martyrs Day in many rich, diverse, practical and effective forms; organized and launched the movement "Repaying gratitude", built the "Repaying gratitude" Fund at all grassroots levels.
In addition, the organization took a delegation of outstanding people with meritorious services of the province to visit some historical sites and relics and revisit the old battlefields in Hanoi city and Phu Tho province; organized 5 working delegations of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, and Provincial Fatherland Front Committee to offer flowers and incense to martyrs' cemeteries, relic sites, and memorial sites inside and outside the province; visited and presented gifts to units caring for and nursing wounded soldiers, people with meritorious services to the revolution, and families of outstanding people with meritorious services and those in difficult circumstances; organized candle lighting ceremonies to pay tribute to heroic martyrs and offer incense at martyrs' cemeteries throughout the province.
In addition, direct the timely distribution of gifts from the President to 79,723 people with revolutionary contributions in the province, with a total budget of 24,477,000,000 VND. Along with the main activities of the province, localities based on specific conditions develop plans to organize activities to celebrate the 77th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day thoughtfully, practically, effectively and economically.
PV:In the coming time, how will the work of gratitude continue to be implemented to help soothe and compensate for the sacrifices of families of war invalids, martyrs, and those who contributed to the revolution and sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland?
Ms. Ho Thi Chau Loan:In order for the policy for people with meritorious services to the revolution, especially the movement of "Repaying gratitude" to continue to spread widely and become a responsibility of every citizen, in the coming time, the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs will continue to coordinate with sectors and localities to further promote the propaganda and dissemination of the Party's policies and the State's policies towards people with meritorious services to the revolution in many rich, appropriate and diverse forms, especially propaganda to cadres, civil servants, public employees, workers and people to clearly understand and properly, fully and thoughtfully implement the Party's policies, regimes and policies of the State towards people with meritorious services to the revolution.
Along with that, pay attention to reviewing and exploiting information and legal bases about resistance fighters who sacrificed, were injured, or became ill during combat and combat service to confirm martyrs, wounded soldiers, people enjoying policies like wounded soldiers, resistance fighters exposed to toxic chemicals, etc., strictly following the motto "understanding each other and making sense".
In addition, continue to promote the socialization of the work of "Repaying gratitude" to increasingly create a larger and more resource to help and support people with meritorious services to have a better material and spiritual life. Prioritize supporting capital sources to solve employment, eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, and provide vocational training to create jobs for children of martyrs, war invalids and people with meritorious services.
At the same time, focus on encouraging and promoting the revolutionary family tradition of policy beneficiaries to overcome difficulties in labor, production, work, stabilize and improve their lives, continue to contribute to building an increasingly rich and civilized homeland.
PV:Thank you for this conversation!
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