Focus on improving the quality of new rural areas.

(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of December 18th, within the framework of the group discussion session at the 15th meeting of the 16th Provincial People's Council, term 2011-2016, delegates in group 3 had a lively discussion on many important issues of the province.

Scene from the Group 3 discussion.

Group 3, comprising provincial People's Council delegates elected from Yen Thanh and Dien Chau districts, along with representatives from the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department, the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, and the Departments of Finance, Natural Resources and Environment, Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Justice, generally agreed with the report on the socio-economic situation in 2015 presented by the Provincial People's Committee at the session. Many delegates expressed concern about some indicators that were not achieved and the existing problems and difficulties.

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Hai - Director of the Department of Finance - clarified some issues related to "debt" in the construction of new rural areas.

Many delegates expressed concern about the fact that the results of the new rural development program have not met the set targets, and the quality and sustainability of this program are still lacking. Delegate Le Van Cam (Dien Chau district) stated: “The results of the new rural development program in some areas are being overlooked, because in practice, some communes that have been recognized still have three outstanding debts: debts related to criteria, basic construction, and policy debts (debts for project bonuses and announcement fees). On the other hand, the progress made in the new rural development program is unclear and not good, especially regarding criteria for increasing income and improving people's living standards; strengthening the grassroots political system, security and order, and combating social evils...”.

Representative Truong Van Hien argued that attention should be paid to increasing income to ensure sustainability in building new rural areas.

Agreeing with delegate Le Van Cam's viewpoint, delegate Truong Van Hien (Yen Thanh) stated: "In parallel with the criteria, attention should be paid to income to ensure more sustainable rural development."

Regarding the issue of concern raised by the Provincial People's Council representatives, the Director of the Department of Finance, Nguyen Xuan Hai, acknowledged the reality of "debt" in the construction of new rural areas, and affirmed: "Although the provincial budget is very tight, the province has made great efforts to allocate funds to localities to implement the new rural development program, especially in providing cement. Regarding the issue of 'debt' from localities, in September 2015, the Department of Finance issued guidance document No. 2356/HD-STC to focus on resolving this issue."

Accordingly, communes with completed projects that have been handed over for use and have finalized accounts will have 100% of the project value processed; those with completed projects that have been handed over for use but have not yet finalized accounts will have 80% processed; and newly started projects will have 50% processed. To date, the entire province has processed debts for 27 communes. As for the bonus of 50 million VND per commune awarded for the recognition certificate, the money will be disbursed immediately upon announcement.”

Delegate Phan Van Tuyen (Yen Thanh) clarified some difficulties in the target of building schools that meet national standards.

Based on concerns that the income criteria in building new rural areas have not created a significant shift, some delegates have suggested several solutions. These include promoting and adopting new approaches to attract businesses to invest in agriculture, particularly high-tech agriculture. Alongside this, attention should be paid to developing household economies, focusing on reorganizing production and restructuring agriculture through joint ventures and linkages. Simultaneously, there needs to be a more substantial and effective agricultural and rural policy mechanism, rather than the current policies which are merely like "MSG" (monosodium glutamate).

Comrade Bui Dinh Long - Director of the Department of Health - shared some difficulties in improving the quality of healthcare at the district and grassroots levels, namely the lack of facilities and personnel.

Besides the new rural development targets, delegates also expressed concerns about some socio-cultural targets that were not being met. Delegate Phan Van Tuyen (Yen Thanh) raised the concern: Currently, the target for building standard schools has not been achieved. The biggest difficulty is the infrastructure. Previously, schools had funds for school infrastructure improvement, but in recent years this source has disappeared, making it very difficult to overcome the problem. Investment in high schools comes from the province, while investment in junior high schools, primary schools, and kindergartens comes from the district and commune budgets. Meanwhile, the district and commune budgets are almost nonexistent; for example, in Yen Thanh district, annual revenue only accounts for 5% of total expenditure across the entire area. Therefore, it is suggested that the province needs to increase budget allocation for investment in school infrastructure construction.

Ho Sy Dung, head of the Environmental Protection Department, explained the issues of concern to provincial People's Council representatives regarding environmental pollution in the exploitation of construction materials.

In addition to the issues mentioned above, in Group 3, delegates also addressed many shortcomings and weaknesses in state management of healthcare at the district and commune levels; issues related to training linkages at district-level education centers; the use of pesticides and herbicides in agricultural production, affecting food safety and hygiene; environmental pollution from construction material extraction;...

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Mai Hoa