PV:It is known that in recent years, the Party committees, authorities, organizations and people in the province have paid great attention to implementing the military rear policy. Could you elaborate on this?
Comrade Bui Dinh Long: During the resistance wars to protect the country, Nghe An was a solid rear base. From here, generations of people from the homeland went to war. Among them, many people remained forever on the battlefields; many others returned with wounds; some carried painful sequelae, passed on to the next generation... However, the flame of patriotism of the people of Nghe An still burns brightly. Today, in peacetime, following the tradition of their ancestors, thousands, hundreds of thousands of people of Nghe An have, are and will volunteer to join the army, regardless of danger and hardship, to protect the sovereignty of the sea, sky, and every inch of their homeland.
To be worthy of the merits and sacrifices of the heroic sons of Nghe An, over the years, the Party committees, the Government, the armed forces and the people of all walks of life in the province have always clearly identified: Implementing well the military rear policy, paying attention to and caring for policy beneficiaries and people with revolutionary contributions is a regular political task. This work is a special part of social policy under the leadership of the Party; both expressing sentiments and promoting the morality of "remembering the source of water when drinking"; and directly contributing to ensuring and improving the material and spiritual life of relatives of military officers and soldiers; creating a strong driving force to build a solid people's heart; building the army, the military rear, strengthening national defense and protecting the Fatherland.
From this awareness, every year, Party committees, authorities and all departments and branches in the province, with a proactive, positive and responsible spirit, have joined hands to effectively implement policies for the military rear and people with meritorious services. Specifically, focusing on resolving outstanding policies on war invalids and martyrs; policies according to the Prime Minister's decisions; effectively implementing policies for war invalids, martyrs and people with meritorious services; implementing gratitude activities such as caring for and supporting heroic Vietnamese mothers, building gratitude houses, visiting and giving gifts to policy beneficiaries on holidays and Tet; synchronously implementing solutions, improving the effectiveness of searching for and collecting martyrs' remains...
It can be said that the implementation of the policy for the military rear and meritorious people in Nghe An has been and is having many innovations and creations, contributing to mobilizing many resources, taking better care of the material and spiritual life of those who have devoted themselves to the revolutionary cause and the families of officers and soldiers serving in the army; creating a strong spread throughout the army and in society.
PV: Could you please tell us about the specific results of the implementation of the policy for military rear areas and meritorious people in Nghe An in recent times?
Comrade Bui Dinh Long: Since 2020, Nghe An has done a good job in resolving the backlog of policies on war invalids and martyrs according to Joint Circular No. 28/TTLT-BLDTBXH-BQP dated October 22, 2013 of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense guiding and confirming martyrs, war invalids, and beneficiaries of policies like war invalids who no longer have documents; Circular No. 202/103/TT-BQP dated November 7, 2013 of the Ministry of National Defense guiding the procedures for confirming and organizing the implementation of preferential policies for people with revolutionary contributions under the responsibility of the Ministry of National Defense to ensure compliance with regulations. Accordingly, the whole province has 330 war invalids, 4 sick soldiers and 10 martyrs confirmed.
During this time, Nghe An organized the search, exhumation, and collection of martyrs' graves in Laos, including 255 remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos and 2 remains of martyrs who died in the country; directed the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, the Provincial Military Command, and the People's Committee of Nghi Loc district to receive, move, and organize the burial ceremony of the remains of volunteer soldiers and experts who returned to the country for burial at the Nghi Loc district martyr cemetery; organized the funeral ceremony for 12 martyrs who died while performing rescue and relief missions to help people overcome the consequences of the Rao Trang 3 Hydropower Plant floods, ensuring solemnity and respect.
The province has implemented and resolved well the regimes and policies according to Circular 157/2013/TT-BQP, Circular 158/2011/TT-BQP of the Ministry of National Defense; received, reviewed and resolved the remaining records according to Decision 62/2011 "on regimes and policies for subjects participating in the war to defend the Fatherland, performing international duties in Cambodia, helping Laos after April 30, 1975 who have been demobilized, discharged from the army, or quit their jobs", Decision 49/2015 "on a number of regimes and policies for frontline laborers participating in the resistance war against France, against the US, the war to defend the Fatherland and performing international duties" of the Prime Minister to ensure strict compliance with regulations.
Nghe An has seriously, promptly, correctly and fully implemented current regimes and policies for active duty, retired service, reserve mobilization, militia and self-defense forces, policy beneficiaries and meritorious people. Specifically, as of December 30, 2021, Nghe An has been paying regular allowances to 68,455 policy beneficiaries with a payment amount of over 130 billion VND/month. In 2021 alone, the province has implemented one-time allowance settlement for 10,077 cases with a total amount of over 128 billion VND.
On the occasion of holidays and Tet, the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council and People's Committee visited and presented gifts to military units stationed in the area, families with husbands or children working in Truong Sa archipelago, DK1 platform, border; visited and presented gifts to heroic Vietnamese mothers, heroes of the people's armed forces, wounded soldiers and relatives of martyrs and policy beneficiaries; organized meetings and presented gifts to retired military officers in the area... In the 2022 Lunar New Year alone, the whole province paid Tet gifts from the budget to people with revolutionary contributions and social protection beneficiaries of more than 77.8 billion VND.
The "Repaying gratitude" movement has been widely socialized. In 2021, the whole province collected 18.87 billion VND from the gratitude fund. The gratitude fund at all levels, organizations and enterprises supported the construction and repair of 151 gratitude houses, with nearly 4 billion VND; donated 468 savings books with an amount of nearly 500 million VND; and gave gifts to meritorious people in difficult circumstances, with an amount of nearly 5 billion VND.
It can be said that the above actions have contributed to reducing the difficulties in the lives of policy families, creating conditions for them to continue promoting local traditions, contributing to building a strong homeland. At the same time, through that, educating, encouraging and motivating the young generation to enthusiastically join the army; officers and soldiers in the province's armed forces feel secure in their work, actively train, ready to fight, protect their homeland and country; linking the implementation of the military rear policy with promoting the "Repaying gratitude" movement and effectively implementing the sustainable poverty reduction program of Nghe An province.
PV:In the current economic situation of the country and the province, there are still many difficulties; the negative aspects of the market economy and the negative aspects of social life have a significant impact on the thoughts, feelings, and awareness of cadres, soldiers, and people. How will Nghe An continue to strengthen its leadership and direction of the work of policies for the military's rear and those with meritorious services?
Comrade Bui Dinh Long:In the coming time, Nghe An will continue to promote propaganda and education work, raise awareness and responsibility for cadres, soldiers and people, first of all, Party committees and cadres at all levels on the work of policies for the military rear and people with meritorious services. The focus is on Directive No. 14-CT/TW dated July 19, 2017 of the Secretariat on continuing to strengthen the Party's leadership over the work of people with meritorious services to the revolution and Directive No. 169-CT/QUTW of the Central Military Commission Standing Committee on strengthening leadership and direction of policy work for the army and the military rear in the period 2021 - 2025; inform, propagate and educate cadres, soldiers and people about the purpose, meaning and results of implementing policies for the military rear and people with meritorious services; about the advantages and difficulties of the country, army, units and localities; tradition, morality of "When drinking water, remember its source" of the nation; viewpoint of self-reliance, self-improvement, motto: State, people and beneficiaries of preferential policies strive together.
The province directs all levels, sectors, units and localities to continue to fully and effectively implement, ensure publicity and transparency of preferential policies for people with meritorious services to the revolution; relatives of military officers and soldiers; demobilized soldiers, militia and self-defense forces... continue to review and strive to completely resolve the backlog of records confirming people with meritorious services to the revolution; effectively carry out inspection, examination and supervision of the implementation of preferential policies for people with meritorious services to the revolution to promptly overcome shortcomings and defects; detect and strictly handle organizations and individuals who intentionally violate regulations in implementing policies for people with meritorious services; effectively carry out emulation and reward work for individuals and organizations that perform well.
In addition, regularly organize activities to visit, give gifts, and activities to show gratitude and care for people with meritorious services to the revolution, families of soldiers, workers and defense officials on duty in difficult and arduous areas, remote areas, borders, seas, islands, etc. Promote the renovation, embellishment and upgrading of works honoring martyrs; organize ceremonies and offer incense at martyr cemeteries on the occasion of Tet, July 27, etc. Direct the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, the Provincial Military Command and localities in the province to receive, organize burials and collect the remains of martyrs in the province and in the Lao People's Democratic Republic for burial at martyr cemeteries in the province; coordinate in announcing and reporting information about martyrs' graves to relatives of martyrs' families.
Nghe An will continue to promote the combined strength, mobilize and effectively use social resources in implementing the movement "Repaying gratitude"; pay attention to caring for people with meritorious services, supporting heroic Vietnamese mothers, supporting centers for nurturing people with meritorious services; effectively implement programs and campaigns of the Central and local levels on hunger eradication, poverty reduction, social security, joining hands for community health; effectively implement vocational training policies, introduce jobs for demobilized soldiers... coordinate with central departments, ministries and branches to advise and propose to the Party and State to amend, supplement, perfect, issue new and well implement regimes and policies for the military rear, preferential subsidies for people with meritorious services, upgrade works and gratitude institutions.
PV:Thank you, comrade!