Nam Thanh mobilizes over 206 billion VND for rural development.

(Baonghean) - Recognizing the great significance of the National Target Program for Building New Rural Areas, immediately after the program was launched, the commune established a steering committee for building new rural areas and intensified propaganda efforts.

Economic development is a top priority for the Party Committee and government of Nam Thanh commune. Along with organizing numerous training courses and study tours to learn from successful agricultural and livestock production models in other localities, Nam Thanh has mechanisms to encourage people to exploit land advantages, apply scientific advancements to production, and actively borrow capital from agricultural and rural development support credit programs to develop their economy.

Expanding the area for vegetable and fruit cultivation is one of the important aspects of restructuring the agricultural sector in Nam Thanh commune, Nam Dan district. (Photo: Archival image)

Efforts to complete the "Land consolidation and reallocation" work according to Directive 08 of the Provincial Party Committee and Resolution No. 26 of the District Party Committee have created favorable conditions for rational crop restructuring, with the total annual cultivated area reaching 2,000 - 2,060 hectares; the average annual food production reaching 5,443 tons; and several production models yielding economic efficiency such as winter vegetable crops, various types of beans in the summer-autumn season, and high-quality rice in the spring season.

Developing production and livestock farming models such as integrated farms, family farms, garden economies, and hillside farms... Economic development has continuously improved people's lives, with an increasing number of well-off and wealthy households, and a significant decrease in the number of poor households from 17.6% in 2010 to 4.98% in 2016; the economic growth rate in 2016 reached 7.5%, an increase of 14.5% compared to 2010; and per capita income increased from 18.2 million VND in 2010 to 27.3 million VND in 2016.

The Thai tomato farming model in Hamlet 7, Nam Thanh, yields an income of 120 million VND/hectare. Photo: Dam Phuong.

With concerted efforts to mobilize all available resources for the new rural development program, over the past five years the commune has raised 206.569 billion VND, of which the people contributed over 29 billion VND, accounting for 14.1%.

In addition, 22 households voluntarily donated 860 square meters of land.²land, including garden land of 320 m².²14 households voluntarily dismantled 600 m².² boundary wall. From 2011 to the present, the commune has concreted nearly 20 km of rural roads; hardened 7.5 km of canals; built and upgraded one new pumping station and installed hundreds of culverts and bridges in the fields, and dredged canals to ensure a reliable water supply.

Investments were made in constructing two new substations, upgrading five existing substations, and installing over 25 km of low-voltage power lines to ensure electricity demand in the area was met. New commune People's Committee headquarters were built, a community cultural center was constructed, 16 village cultural centers were upgraded; and the grounds of schools were renovated, expanded, and additional infrastructure was invested in.

Embroidery for export in Nam Thanh. Archival photo.

The movement for national unity in building a cultured way of life, creating cultured villages and cultured families, has been actively embraced by the people. The percentage of cultured families reached 86.4%; 13 out of 17 hamlets achieved the title of cultured hamlet. Policies for war veterans and social security policies, poverty reduction, and job creation have yielded many positive results. Healthcare and primary health care for the people have been well-implemented: 100% of households have sanitary facilities. National health programs have been well-implemented. The commune has met national health standards since 2012. The percentage of people participating in health insurance reached 73.5%.

The education sector has seen many positive changes. The quality of teaching and learning is constantly improving; the enrollment rate of 5-year-old children has reached 100%; the quality of universal primary education at the appropriate age and universal lower secondary education is maintained and improved. The socialization of education continues to be implemented effectively, and the activities of community learning centers, scholarship funds, agencies, and clans are increasingly promoted, contributing to improving the quality of education.

Road construction in the new rural area of ​​Hamlet 7, Nam Thanh Commune. Photo: Dam Phuong

The promotion of education and talent development is given attention, with scholarship funds established in every hamlet and every clan. The commune also focuses on directing and implementing effective environmental sanitation work, with the issuance of a plan for centralized waste collection and treatment, ensuring a green, clean, and beautiful environment. Monthly campaigns are launched to encourage residents to conduct general environmental cleanups, with each organization responsible for one or two clean and beautiful streets. The Women's Union effectively implements the "5 No's and 3 Cleanliness" model...

Furthermore, Nam Thanh commune pays special attention to leading and directing the building of a strong political system. For many consecutive years, the Party Committee has been recognized as strong and exemplary. The team of cadres and civil servants are capable, qualified, and highly responsible; 100% of civil servants meet the required standards, with over 90% holding university degrees. The government is consistently evaluated as having successfully completed its tasks every year, and the Fatherland Front and its member organizations are consistently rated as excellent.

Outdoor lesson at Nam Thanh Kindergarten. Photo: Thu Huong.

With specific solutions developed and implemented step by step, the commune completed all 19 criteria for new rural development in 2016, creating an increasingly vibrant appearance for the homeland. The Party Committee and the government of Nam Thanh commune determined that completing the new rural development program is only the beginning of a new development phase. Cadres, Party members, and the people of the commune will continue to strive to continuously improve the criteria in a sustainable and high-quality manner, meeting the development needs of the new phase; and are determined to maintain the achieved criteria.

Bui Thanh Hai

(Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Thanh Commune)