Support for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas

The Prime Minister has just approved a specific policy to support socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the 2017-2020 period with the specific goal of contributing to reducing the poverty rate in ethnic minority and mountainous areas by 3% to 4% per year.

In addition, it is necessary to solve the problem of land for production and job conversion for over 80% of poor ethnic minority households and poor households in extremely difficult areas lacking land for production; and to basically solve the problem of lack of domestic water for poor ethnic minority households and poor households living in scattered areas.

Mountainous people will be supported to develop their socio-economy. Photo: Archive

The implementation principle is to directly support poor ethnic minority households; poor households in communes in region III, and especially disadvantaged villages and hamlets. Ensure publicity, transparency, and correct targets; supported households must use the capital for the right purpose.

Support for residential land, production land, and domestic water

Support for residential land, production land, and scattered domestic water for poor ethnic minority households and poor households in communes in region III, villages, and hamlets with special difficulties living on agriculture and forestry, lacking residential land, production land according to the local average, lacking domestic water; not yet enjoying support policies on residential land, production land, and scattered domestic water.

The People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities shall proactively allocate budgets and create land funds to allocate land to households for housing construction. The level of land allocated to households shall be determined by the People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities in accordance with local realities.

Households without production land, if in need, will be directly allocated land by the local government or directly supported with a maximum of 15 million VND/household from the state budget and can borrow capital from the Social Policy Bank to create a land fund for production.

In case the local government cannot arrange land for production, households without land or lacking land for production will be supported to change occupations from the state budget with a maximum of 5 million VND/household and borrow capital from the Social Policy Bank to provide services or do other jobs to increase income.

The above subjects are only entitled to one of two policies: land support for production or job conversion support.

Poor ethnic minority households; poor households in communes in region III, especially difficult villages and hamlets lacking domestic water are supported with an average of 1.5 million VND/household to create a water source for daily use.

Support preferential credit loans

Households lacking production land as prescribed above, poor ethnic minority households living in communes in region III, and especially difficult villages and hamlets are supported with preferential credit loans.

Specifically, the lending method is implemented according to Decree No. 78/2002/ND-CP dated October 4, 2002 of the Government on credit for the poor and other policy subjects; the purpose of the loan is to create land funds for production, service provision or other occupations to increase income and sustainably reduce poverty.

The loan limit does not exceed the maximum loan amount applicable to poor households in each period; the maximum loan term is 10 years; the loan interest rate is 50% of the loan interest rate for poor households in each period.

The Social Policy Bank makes loans and can delegate some tasks to commune-level socio-political organizations. Borrowed households are members of savings and loan groups.

In addition, arrange for stable settlement for ethnic minority households that still practice shifting cultivation and nomadic living. Specifically, continue to implement policies and plans for sedentary farming and settlement for ethnic minorities who practice shifting cultivation and nomadic living according to Decision No. 33/2007/QD-TTg dated March 5, 2007, Decision No. 1342/QD-TTg dated August 25, 2009 and Decision No. 33/2013/QD-TTg dated June 4, 2013 of the Prime Minister: Continue to invest in projects according to approved plans at concentrated settlement and settlement points; arrange capital to pay for infrastructure projects at settlement and settlement points that have been completed and put into use but still lack capital; pay support payments according to regulations in Decision No. 33/2007/QD-TTg dated March 5, 2007 of the Prime Minister.

According to Hoang Dien/chinhphu.vn