Improve 'hard' criteria, maintain 'soft' criteria

(Baonghean) - The promotion of new rural construction has had a positive impact on all aspects of people's lives in rural areas. While the "hard" criteria such as transportation, irrigation, electricity, etc. are supported by the State with capital investment, combined with people's contributions to create stability and promote the role of a premise for development, maintaining "soft" criteria such as security, environment, employment, income, etc. requires more efforts.

People of Hung Tien commune (Hung Nguyen) bring waste to the commune's waste collection point for treatment. Photo: Xuan Hoang

In the process of directing the new rural area (NTM) construction program, Mr. Nguyen Van Tue - Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Luong Commune (Quynh Luu) realized that achieving the criteria was difficult, but maintaining the criteria after achieving the NTM standards was even more difficult, especially the "soft" criteria. For example, the security and order (SOC) criterion, in 2015, a murder case occurred in the commune, leading to the commune not meeting this criterion that year.

As for cultural criteria, the situation of having 3 or more children still exists in some villages and ensuring sustainability is difficult to implement.

After 2 years of achieving the NTM standards, Thanh Linh commune (Thanh Chuong) focuses on building quality "soft" criteria. Accordingly, the movement to build cultural families, cultural villages, and communes is organized by the Women's Union of the commune. With the active participation of women, garbage on inter-commune and inter-hamlet roads is collected and cleaned every month. Each branch is in charge of a section of road, so the roads of Thanh Linh commune are always clean, ensuring general environmental hygiene.

In addition, families also build pits to collect household waste, all waste is collected to the collection points of the hamlet and commune for treatment. Due to regular and continuous propaganda and implementation, the "soft" criteria of Thanh Linh commune are always maintained. This is one of the typical communes in implementing the construction of a clean and beautiful rural environment.

Raising cows in captivity is a solution to increase income for people in Trang Son commune, Do Luong district. Photo: Xuan Hoang

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thanh Chuong district, in general, up to this point, the communes that have met the NTM standards have not had any "soft" criteria that have fallen compared to the time they were recognized as meeting the NTM standards. To achieve this, the District People's Committee has implemented many solutions: Regularly strengthening the propaganda, dissemination and mobilization of the contents of the Program from the district to the grassroots level, so that all classes of people understand and the entire political system participates.

The above examples reflect the continuous efforts of communes that have reached the NTM finish line. However, through discussions, many localities that have completed the NTM program admitted that they are facing significant challenges in maintaining the achieved criteria, especially the "soft" criteria such as culture, security, order, environment, etc. Through discussions, many commune leaders said that to overcome these difficulties, it requires each local cadre and party member to regularly stay close to the grassroots and need the dynamism of the people.

In addition to promoting economic development, localities need to focus on consolidating and building self-management groups, civil defense groups and replicating good models of security and order; organizing a general campaign to clean up the environment, village roads and alleys, associated with enhancing solidarity in the community.

Mr. Hoang Nghia Hieu - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief of Office of the National Target Program for New Rural Development in the province said: To maintain and gradually raise to a new level the "soft" criteria in New Rural Development, localities must identify this as a regular, continuous key task, considering this a key task of the year.

To achieve that goal, the commune-level government must develop specific plans for each area, the most important of which is to promote propaganda work. When people's awareness is raised, the "soft" criteria will be maintained. In the process of building a new rural area, the "hard" criteria (facilities, infrastructure, etc.) are the basis of the development process, while the "soft" criteria are considered the long-term foundation, so localities need to pay attention regularly and continuously.

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