The heartfelt sentiments of the voters conveyed to the Provincial People's Council session.
(Baonghean.vn) - Prior to the 14th session of the 18th Provincial People's Council, voters in the province raised many issues existing in practice and expected that all levels and sectors would have more effective solutions.
The project to build a 6-kilometer-long flood control dike along the Lam River to Thanh Lien commune has only completed just over 3 kilometers and has been stalled for over a year (since the beginning of 2022). Due to this unfinished work, during the recent heavy rains and floods at the end of 2022, water from upstream created a "water pocket" in the uncompleted section, causing landslides that damaged agricultural land for local residents, with over 1 kilometer of landslides reaching a depth of 5 meters. Simultaneously, landslides also affected the local irrigation pumping station, posing a risk of its complete destruction if the remaining section of the dike is not completed promptly. Therefore, we request that the province and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (the project's investor) urgently resume the project.
Furthermore, the project to upgrade National Highway 46C passing through the area is hampered by an inadequate drainage system, leading to localized flooding for 385 households in Lien Khai hamlet during heavy rains. We request that the province work with relevant units to conduct a survey and address the issue of improving the drainage system along National Highway 46C, thereby resolving the localized flooding for affected households in the area.
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Currently, in Hamlet 10, Quynh Loc Commune, there are 435 households, of which more than 300 households own land and solid houses within the administrative boundaries of Nghi Son Town, Thanh Hoa Province.
Although administrative management, demographics, socio-economic activities, national defense and security, and social welfare fall under the purview of Quynh Loc commune (Hoang Mai town), land management is under the jurisdiction of Nghi Son town, Thanh Hoa province. Therefore, more than 300 households have not yet been granted land use rights certificates, even though many have legally lived and used the land since the 1960s, approximately 60 years ago. This creates difficulties for Quynh Loc commune in land management due to its lack of authority, while the Nghi Son town government (Thanh Hoa province) shows no concern. As a result, the legitimate rights of the people are affected, especially in procedures for obtaining building permits, borrowing capital from banks for economic development, or exercising rights to transfer, donate, or sell land, etc., all of which cannot be done.
Therefore, it is suggested that Nghe An province should work with Thanh Hoa province and central ministries and agencies to readjust administrative boundaries, transferring the residential land of over 300 households to Quynh Loc commune for management; creating conditions for households to be granted land use right certificates, ensuring the legitimate rights of the people, and at the same time effectively performing the state's land management function.
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Chau Tien commune has over 98% ethnic minority population; socio-economic conditions still face certain difficulties; the poverty rate remains high, at 32.2%. In recent years, the Party and State have prioritized many programs and projects to invest in and support the development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas; including three national target programs: building new rural areas, sustainable poverty reduction, and socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous regions. However, during the implementation of all three programs, the general situation is that budget allocation to the locality is slow and the funding has not met the needs of the progress of the implementation items.
As part of the socio-economic development program for ethnic minority and mountainous areas, giai đoạn 2021 – 2025, the locality was allocated 10 billion VND for 3 construction projects, including: building a new kindergarten; building a multi-functional cultural center in 2 villages; and repairing and upgrading the health station. The kindergarten alone received a total approved budget of 5.5 billion VND, disbursed over 3 years (2022, 2023, 2024); however, the Bidding Law stipulates that the contract implementation time for construction projects should be under 12 months (construction started in February 2022).
Therefore, it is suggested that all levels and sectors study the allocation of funds according to the objectives, tasks, and annual financial performance of each locality. For particularly disadvantaged communes and villages, balancing local budgets and mobilizing community contributions in money, in kind, or labor is extremely difficult to ensure projects are implemented on schedule and quickly yield results.
Furthermore, funding for two investment projects – the village cultural center and the health station – is currently behind schedule. The sustainable poverty reduction program for 2022 and 2023 has not yet been disbursed, affecting the local implementation plan related to building a decentralized water supply system for residents and supporting the development of livestock farming models. Therefore, we request that all levels and sectors study and find solutions to address these issues and create favorable conditions for the development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in general, and Chau Tien commune in particular.
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The One-Stop Service Center is the main channel of interaction between the people and the government. Therefore, localities, agencies, and units throughout the province always pay attention to and assign qualified, ethical, and experienced officials and civil servants to this center. The increasing volume of administrative procedures, especially in the fields of justice, land, construction, investment, and policy, has created immense pressure on those working at the One-Stop Service Center. Furthermore, officials must both be on duty at the One-Stop Service Center and perform their professional duties.
I understand that at the 14th session of the 18th Provincial People's Council, a draft resolution stipulating support for officials, civil servants, and employees working at the One-Stop Service centers at all levels in Nghe An province will be considered and approved. This will be a very practical policy to support officials, civil servants, and employees working at the One-Stop Service centers, serving as timely encouragement and motivation for us to strive even harder in our work.
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Currently, many villages in ethnic minority and mountainous areas face significant infrastructure challenges and shortages, particularly a lack of clean water for daily use. While some water supply projects have been constructed in the commune, their age and deterioration, coupled with prolonged droughts, have rendered many ineffective. Residents are still relying on water from mountain streams, manually channeling water to their homes, but this system is no longer operational.
We propose that the State promptly issue mechanisms and provide resources to support localities in investing in the construction of more centralized water supply systems in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, in order to address difficulties in accessing clean water. We suggest that the issue of supporting access to clean water should be included as a key priority in the national target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, as well as in the policies of the Provincial People's Council.
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The team of officials at the ward, hamlet, and village levels are those who are directly involved with the people in implementing the Party and State's policies and guidelines into daily life. This has placed a heavy responsibility on these non-specialized officials, especially after the merger of wards, hamlets, and villages, expanding their scope of management. However, the current regime and policies for this team are not commensurate with their roles. This has led many to be unenthusiastic about their work; some even shirk their responsibilities when faced with difficulties, and many have resigned.
A current reality is that the majority of village and hamlet officials, especially the Party branch secretaries, are elderly, mostly retired officials. They are very enthusiastic, but they struggle with applying information technology to process documents. Given this situation, it is necessary for all levels and sectors to create mechanisms and policies to encourage young people to participate as village and hamlet officials; and to pay attention to the benefits and policies for village and hamlet officials after mergers.
