Nghe An: Nearly 6 billion VND in support provided to poor ethnic minority women who comply with population policies.

(Baonghean) - Since 2015, the Government has issued Decree No. 39/2015/ND-CP stipulating policies to support women from poor households belonging to ethnic minorities who give birth in accordance with population policies. The Decree, when put into practice, has made a significant contribution to encouraging and motivating population work in mountainous areas and has helped to make the implementation of population policies more effective.

The family of Ms. Bui Thi Phuong, from Hua Muong village, Hanh Dich commune (Que Phong district), is one of the first families nominated for commendation under Decree No. 39. She has two children, and in the past, many people advised her to have more children, as the Thai ethnic group traditionally desires a large family for joy and additional labor. However, she and her husband thought differently; life was still difficult, and she didn't want her children to suffer from lack of food and clothing.

Undeterred by the conservative and outdated views of some in the surrounding community, Ms. Phuong's family remains steadfast in their decision to "have two children to raise them well." Recently, her family received a reward of 2,000,000 VND for their excellent performance in population and family planning. While not a large sum, it provides Ms. Phuong with additional funds to purchase school supplies for her children as the new school year begins, and serves as encouragement and motivation for the couple to remain confident in their decision.

Residents of Que Phong district learn about population policies. Photo: My Ha

Ms. Phuong's family's thinking is shared by many other residents in Hanh Dich commune, and this has significantly contributed to making Hanh Dich a shining example of population control in Que Phong district. Currently, although the people here still face many difficulties in their lives and their educational level is still limited, many villages in the commune have consistently had no third births. Notably, Pa Kim village has had no violations for 20 consecutive years; Pa Co, Cham, Mut, and Hua Muong villages have all received commendations for 3-5 consecutive years. Hanh Dich is also one of two communes in Que Phong district currently being considered for a commendation from the Provincial People's Committee for its outstanding achievements in population control.

Throughout Que Phong district, in accordance with Decision No. 39, over 500 individuals were awarded commendations totaling more than 1 billion VND, making it the district with the highest number of commendations in the province. Que Phong is also one of the two localities with the lowest rate of third or subsequent births in Nghe An province, with a birth rate of approximately 8%, and each year about 60% of villages and hamlets have no violations.

Sharing about the achievements, Ms. Sam Thi Hanh - Director of the District's Population and Family Planning Center, said: "Although it is a mountainous district with ethnic minorities making up the majority of the population, people's awareness of population work has increasingly changed positively, and that is an important factor in reducing the number of third births."

The implementation process also revealed that, due to specific difficulties, Que Phong district does not have many policies to reward units and individuals who perform well in population work, and even has to adjust the reward levels. In this context, timely support from the State for households that correctly implement population policies is extremely important and has practical value, further strengthening population work at the grassroots level.”

To implement the support program, the Provincial People's Committee has assigned the Department of Health, the Department of Finance, the Population and Family Planning Sub-Department, and the People's Committees of districts, towns, and cities to carry out their respective functions to ensure that the support is provided fully and accurately.

Women in Quy Hop district learn about population policies. Photo: My Ha

In Thanh Chuong district, although only two communes, Ngoc Lam and Thanh Son – resettlement communes around the Ban Ve hydroelectric reservoir – received payments, the implementation was very systematic, objective, and accurate. In Ngoc Lam commune, payments were made in parallel with a written commitment not to have more children; if violated, the recipients had to return the received support funds.

Mr. Nguyen Hien Ngoc, Director of the Thanh Chuong District Population Center, also stated: “Ngoc Lam commune was the first commune in Thanh Chuong district in 2016 to have no violations regarding having a third child. Based on this result, the district hopes that through the signing of commitments by households, Ngoc Lam will continue to be a shining example of population work in the district in 2017 and subsequent years.”

Evaluating the effectiveness of implementing Decree No. 39, Mr. Nguyen Ba Tan - Head of the Provincial Population and Family Planning Department - affirmed: "Decree No. 39 will contribute to improving the lives and health of ethnic minority people. It will also be a driving force in promoting the implementation of population and family planning policies, especially in disadvantaged areas where the level of education is still limited."

However, due to the vast geographical area, the number of localities that have completed the payment process is still limited. The implementation process also shows that, despite the compiled lists, the number of beneficiaries fluctuates considerably. To ensure the effectiveness of the policy under Government Decree 39, in the coming period, localities need to focus on directing and assigning specific responsibilities to the People's Committees of communes, relevant departments, and mass organizations to review, understand, and accurately compile statistics to avoid omitting eligible beneficiaries; create specific files for each beneficiary, with women's commitments to giving birth in accordance with population policies to receive benefits as prescribed. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen propaganda and mobilization efforts to encourage women to comply with population policies and to regularly monitor and ensure that payments are made to the right people, the right beneficiaries, objectively and honestly.

My Ha