Efforts in the mountainous commune of Huu Kiem

(Baonghean) - As a commune in a difficult mountainous area, people's lives are still lacking; however, up to now, Huu Kiem commune is considered a locality with many remarkable results in the new rural construction movement to be the first commune to reach the finish line in Ky Son district.

Coming to Huu Kiem commune, the locality chosen to build the first finishing commune of the remote Ky Son district, meeting and exchanging with the ethnic people here, we realized that although their lives are still difficult and deprived, they do not expect to rely on the State in implementing the movement to build new rural areas.

Ms. Luong Thi Ninh in Na Chao village, Huu Kiem commune said: “Our village was chosen by the commune as one of the four villages that registered to finish the NTM village in 2016. However, although the people responded and participated actively, some criteria were still not met. In 2017, following the direction of the commune, the people in the village continued to participate, in which the most important concern was how to increase income. Because the income criterion has not been completed yet, and the people here do not have stable jobs, they mainly focus on raising livestock and production. Therefore, her family tried to raise more pigs, chickens, buy breeding cows to raise; actively sow and care for wet rice to achieve high productivity.”

Road construction in Na Luong 1 village, Huu Kiem commune (Ky Son). Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Nguyen Huu Luong - Chairman of the People's Committee of Huu Kiem Commune said: As a locality with many difficulties, we were very worried when the district directed to reach the NTM target in 2018. The commune has identified a number of difficult criteria: traffic, environment, income, poverty rate... therefore, the set goal is to do the easy first, do the difficult later, and overcome them as we go.

However, to achieve the NTM commune, first of all, it is necessary to build a NTM village according to the direction of the superiors. Therefore, in 2016, 4/9 villages registered to reach the NTM finish line, including: Khe Ty, Na Luong 1, Na Chao and Hom village. By the end of the year, the assessment showed that 3 villages had achieved 13/15 criteria; the most difficult criteria were still income and poverty rate. Determining that these 2 criteria are related to each other, the commune will focus on increasing people's income by building models of cultivation and livestock, mobilizing people to actively reclaim rice fields, and improving weaving products in craft villages in Binh Son 1 and Binh Son 2. Focus on directing and organizing well the construction of infrastructure projects to serve production and people's lives; mobilizing contributions from the people in combination with local budget sources, making the most of state budget support.

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Over the past 6 years, Huu Kiem commune has received support from the provincial People's Committee with 600 tons of cement, along with contributions from the people in terms of working days, sand and gravel materials to pour concrete for 1,000 m of rural roads, and build volleyball courts in Na Luong 1 and Na Chao villages. In particular, the commune government identified environmental criteria as difficult, so it supported the construction of 228 toilets, 1,000 household waste collection pits, supported 30 temporary households to plaster their floors, and maintained and repaired intra-field canals. In addition, the commune also mobilized contributions from the people and organizations and units located in the area, purchased conference hall tables and chairs, and decorative sets for cultural houses in Khe Ty, Na Chao, Hom and Dinh Son 1 villages, with a budget of over 120 million VND.

In late 2016 alone, Huu Kiem commune received support from the State for cement and mobilized people to pour concrete on 3 km of inter-village roads in Khe Ty, Na Luong 1, and Ba villages. It is worth mentioning that the commune government mobilized agencies and organizations from the district and province to support nearly 100 million VND to buy sand and gravel for the villages, so that people did not have to contribute money to buy sand and gravel, but only spent working days to build the road.

By doing so, in the near future, with the support of the District People's Committee, Huu Kiem will deploy the concrete pouring of the inter-village road connecting from National Highway 7 to Dinh Son 1 and Dinh Son 2 villages, 6.5 km long. Opening intra-field roads and mountain roads in Huu Kiem commune will create favorable conditions for ethnic minorities to travel and transport agricultural products. During the implementation process, there have been enthusiastic and responsible examples of the movement, many people have donated land and cut down trees in their gardens to have flat and spacious village roads. In addition, the lighting system, schools, and medical stations in the commune have been gradually invested in and upgraded, contributing to improving the material and spiritual life of the people.

With the goal of achieving new rural standards by 2018 according to the set roadmap, the Huu Kiem commune government has developed a plan and specific solutions to strive to achieve the remaining 7 criteria: income, poor households, education, culture, cultural facilities, irrigation and environment, and transportation.

Hoang Xuan