Nghe An spends more than 4.8 billion VND to support relic caretakers
(Baonghean.vn) - In early December 2023, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued a decision on funding support for caretakers at ranked relics. Nghe An Newspaper had an interview with Ms. Tran Thi Kim Phuong - Head of the Provincial Relic Management Board about the above content.
Reporter: Nghe An has a very rich and diverse heritage system, associated with famous landscapes and spiritual relics. Most of the relics have caretakers and protectors. Can you tell us about the role of this force in preserving and promoting the value of relics in the province?
Ms. Tran Thi Kim Phuong:Protecting and promoting the value of relics is the responsibility of local authorities and the whole community, in which the role of those who directly look after and protect the relics is very important. These are the people who do daily tasks such as protecting, sweeping, cleaning sacrificial objects, burning incense on weekdays, holidays, etc., contributing to maintaining the solemnity of the relics.
In addition, because of their daily involvement with the relic, the relic caretakers can grasp the deterioration of the relic to report to the authorities and relevant agencies for timely handling.
Nghe An currently has 2,602 relics, of which 485 have been ranked, including: 6 special national relics, 145 national relics, and 334 provincial relics.
In reality, at relics that are carefully looked after and cleaned, the theft of artifacts and damage to relics are limited, the landscape of the relics is clean and beautiful, while some relics that lack care and protection are in a state of disrepair and degradation.
Besides, at many relics, the caretakers and guards are also very knowledgeable about history, culture, customs and festivals associated with the relics, and are willing to act as tour guides for visitors.
Reporter: At the 11th Session held at the end of 2022, the People's Council of Nghe An province, term XVIII, 2021 - 2026, passed Resolution No. 28/2022/NQ-HDND stipulating a number of policies to preserve and promote the value of cultural heritage in Nghe An province for the period 2023 - 2027, including support for caretakers at ranked relics. So, before this Resolution of the Provincial People's Council, how was support for caretakers of relics in the province implemented, sir?grandma?
Ms. Tran Thi Kim Phuong:Before there wasResolution No. 28/2022/NQ-HDND, since 2016, relic caretakers have been supported with payment according to Decision 5542/QD-UBND dated November 27, 2015 of the Provincial People's Committee on adjusting and decentralizing the payment of relic protection allowances in the province. Accordingly, the provincial budget support for relic protection allowances is 200,000 VND/month for national relics, 150,000 VND/month for provincial relics. This payment level is considered too little compared to the effort and responsibility of the relic caretakers.
In addition to the payment level according to Decision 5542/QD-UBND, the support for the relic caretaker force is self-balanced by communes, wards and towns and depends on the financial capacity of each place, but is usually taken from donations or local budgets. Therefore, in addition to relics with income sources, the remaining relics that receive attention from local authorities have a slightly higher regime for the caretaker and protection force, but the number of such relics is also very small.
Through practical research at some relics in the province, we found that although the level of support was very small, the relic caretakers were very responsible and dedicated to their duties. For example, at Hoanh Son communal house - a special national relic in Khanh Son commune (Nam Dan), there were two old men who, despite their old age and weak health, were still regularly present at the relic, cleaning, lighting incense, spending time chatting and introducing to visitors the architectural and spiritual cultural values of the communal house.
At Lang Ram Temple in Chau Nhan Commune (Hung Nguyen), the caretaker team consists of 5 people, all over 70 years old. The elders are very united in doing the common work of looking after, cleaning, and taking care of the plants in the temple grounds, guiding people to burn incense, and regularly making recommendations to the local authorities about the damage and deterioration of the temple...
However, the reality at many relics also shows that, due to low funding for relic caretakers, it is very difficult to require basic conditions from relic caretakers such as: good health, understanding of relics as well as knowledge of preserving artifacts...; at the same time, it is also difficult to bind responsibility if damage or loss occurs at the relic.
PV: Can you tell us specifically about the provisions of Resolution No. 28/2022/NQ-HDND on support for caretakers at ranked relics?
Ms. Tran Thi Kim Phuong:According to Resolution No. 28/2022/NQ-HDND, the subjects of application are relics that have been ranked by competent authorities (provincial level, national level, special national level); not including the following relics: President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Site in Kim Lien, Phan Boi Chau Memorial Site, General Secretary Le Hong Phong Memorial Site and Truong Bon Historical Relic Site.
Regarding the support for caretakers at ranked relics, the Resolution stipulates financial support from the provincial budget for those directly caring for ranked relics in Nghe An province, assigned tasks in writing by the relic management board/team or the head of the unit directly managing the relics: For relics ranked at the special national level, 1,000,000 VND/person/month (maximum of 3 people per relic). For relics ranked at the national level, 700,000 VND/relic/month. For relics ranked at the provincial level, 500,000 VND/relic/month. For relic clusters (with 2 or more relic units), each relic unit enjoys the same regime as the above relics.
Compared to many provinces and cities in the country, Nghe An is one of the localities that issued the Provincial People's Council's resolution early on regarding support for caretakers at ranked relics. That shows the province's interest in preserving and promoting the value of cultural heritage.
- Ms. Tran Thi Kim Phuong - Head of Nghe An Provincial Monument Management Board
Reporter: It is known that in recent monitoring meetings of the Provincial People's Council, some localities reported that the appraisal and approval of support sources for the caretakers at relics according to Resolution No. 28 was slow. What is your opinion on this issue?
Ms. Tran Thi Kim Phuong:After the Resolution of the Provincial People's Council was issued, the Department of Culture and Sports advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue an official dispatch regulating the procedures and payment process for relic caretakers according to the Resolution of the Provincial People's Council, in order to ensure that the resolution is implemented effectively and accurately at the grassroots level, ensuring fairness in localities.
The level of support for relic caretakers stipulated in Resolution No. 28/2022/NQ-HDND has significantly improved compared to Decision 5542/QD-UBND, leading to a sharp increase in the province's budget expenditure for this activity. This requires the review of the subjects for payment to be conducted carefully and seriously. Recently, under the direction of the Department of Culture and Sports, the Provincial Relic Management Board has requested localities to review and improve the caretakers and protection teams at relics, thereby submitting a proposal for funding support for the caretakers of classified relics in the area.
Through the review and synthesis of localities, the whole province has 596 people taking care of ranked relics eligible for support under Resolution No. 28/2022/NQ-HDND, including 6 people at special national relics, 197 at national relics and 393 people at provincial relics. The Department of Culture and Sports has submitted a document to the Provincial People's Committee requesting funding support for the above subjects.
On December 1, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 3961/QD-UBND on the settlement of support funds for caretakers of ranked relics in Nghe An province in 2023, accordingly allocating an amount of VND 4 billion 876.5 million from the provincial budget in 2023 to supplement the budgets of districts, cities and towns to implement the caretaker support policy at ranked relics according to Resolution No. 28/2022/NQ-HDND dated December 9, 2022 of the Provincial People's Council.
PV: According to you, in the coming time, along with speeding up the implementation of Resolution 28/2022/NQ-HDND, what do we need to do to better protect and promote the values of relics in the province?
Ms. Tran Thi Kim Phuong:In the coming time, it is hoped that the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns will speed up the payment process for those who care for relics, contributing to timely encouragement for those who are currently working to protect and preserve the precious heritage values of our ancestors.
At the same time, it is hoped that the resolution's implementation will have a clear impact on the spirit and responsibility of those who care for and protect relics, thereby contributing to protecting and promoting the values of relics and scenic spots better and better.
In addition to the support regime, in the coming time, the Department of Culture and Sports and localities also need to strengthen coordination in training, equipping knowledge on heritage protection and preservation for the relic caretakers as well as regularly propagating, educating, raising awareness, and mobilizing community participation in heritage conservation work.
PV: Thank you for this interview!
